Between the Lines
by Lady Karai
Summary: My explanation of what happened to Reno and Rude in Advent Children during the times they were off camera. How and why they showed up where they did and when they did. Nominated for the Genesis Awards.
1. A Distant Scream

**Between the Lines**

**Description**: What happened to Reno and Rude in _Advent Children_ during the times they were off camera. How and why they showed up where they did when they did. Rated T for language and descriptions of torture.

**Disclaimer**: Final Fantasy VII and its characters are the property of Square-Enix. Everything in this fic is just speculation on my part. I have no insider information. I also have no money, so suing me would be pointless.

A/N: I absolutely adore _Advent Children_ from start to finish, but it does leave several things unanswered, in particular why the various ex-ShinRa people just happen to show up at such convenient times. So, because loose ends drive me absolutely insane, I started tying them together in my head, and this fic was born. The POV will shift between Reno and Rude; the first chapter is Reno's. I plan to write it straight, not light and fluffy, and I won't be shying away from the uncomfortable subjects, which is pretty obvious in this chapter.

* * *

**One: A Distant Scream**

"Damn …"

Reno drummed his fingers on the shiny black box in his lap. He was dying for a drink. Several, actually. Enough alcohol to drown his brain so he wouldn't have to see Elena's face anymore. The pain etched in it as she thrust the … _thing_ … into his hands. The black spiderweb of blood growing from her shoulder.

_She told me to go. I only did what she said. "Get out," she said. So I did. It's not like it's my fault. And it's not like it's the first time I've left someone to die …_

But none of the other times had been this personal. He wasn't exactly friends with Tseng and Elena. Hell, most days he didn't even like them, and they had frequently made it very clear what they thought of him. But they had been through a lot together - all that shit with Sephiroth, two years of sifting through the remains of ShinRa, both literally and figuratively, and more recently, babysitting an increasingly moody Rufus. Sometimes, to Reno, it seemed that Rude, Elena, and Tseng were the only ones who understood. They were more than Turks; they were a team.

A _team_, damn it, and team members didn't fly off to safety and leave half of the team behind.

_… Tseng, twirling like a stupid plastic ballerina on a cheap music box, then collapsing to the ground, his eternally perfect hair flying wildly in the wind from the chopper's blades … Elena's soft whimpers of pain seeping into his ears from the headset as the fog covered the crater below, hiding the scene from his eyes … and then static. Nothing but static, empty and terrible ..._

"Damn," Reno muttered again, halting the drumming of his fingers just long enough to ball them into an angry fist.

Next to him in the driver's seat, Rude carefully cleared his throat. "Reno …" he began, his deep voice nearly masked by the roar of the road.

"Don't try to cheer me up," Reno cut him off, stabbing a finger in his direction. "I am in no mood to be cheered up."

"All right," his partner replied, unperturbed by Reno's sharp tone.

They continued on in silence, accompanied only by the incessant thumping of Reno's restless fingers. A green sign shot by, and Reno's brain registered the words 'Healin, 10 miles'.

Out of nowhere, the theme music from the Gold Saucer began to play, but the bright, happy notes were muffled as if someone had thrown a giant pillow over the entire theme park in an attempt to smother it. Reno shifted onto his left hip, balancing the box on one knee, and plunged his right hand into his pocket.

Behind his sunglasses, Rude rolled his eyes. "When are you going to change your ringtone?"

Reno grinned at him as he pulled the phone free. "Beat me at poker, and I'll consider it."

Rude snorted. "That'd be no problem if you didn't cheat."

Reno's retort never reached his lips. Instead, all the air rushed from his lungs in a giant breath of relief. The caller ID read 'Elena cell'. "Finally," he said to himself.

He flipped the phone open and lifted it to his ear. "Hey, you heartless whore, it's about time you checked in. Rude was worried sick over you." Rude rolled his eyes again, but Reno could see the relief in his face as well. "So, where are you? Rude and I will come pick you up soon as we're done taking care of junior."

The phone had offered nothing but silence as Reno pressed forward, riding the wave of cheerful mischief as his worry evaporated. But when no snippy voice replied, he forced himself to stop talking and listen instead, and what he heard made his stomach turn. A soft, mocking chuckle, and then a light, high, but definitely _male_ voice.

"I'm sorry, Reno, but your 'whore' is a bit busy right now. You'll have to catch up with her later."

"Who - who is this?" Reno demanded. "Where's Elena?"

"No, I think I'm the one who gets to ask questions. That is if you don't want me to return your friends to you in boxes … lots of little boxes …"

Tseng's slightly muffled voice burst through the phone. "No, Reno! Don't tell them anything! That's an order!"

A second later, his scream pierced Reno's ear, causing him to jerk the phone away. The terrible sound continued, rising in pitch to an almost animal wail of pain and suffering. Underneath Tseng's agony, Elena's voice could barely be heard, calling out his name in distress, and then she had joined him, her shrill cries more than adequately describing what was happening on the other end of the line.

"Stop!" Reno cried into the phone. "I'll answer your questions. I'll tell you what you want. Just stop! Stop hurting them!"

The screams faded into a long silence. Holding his breath, Reno waited. He felt the car stop and realized Rude had pulled over to the shoulder. He stared at Reno, also waiting, his face pale and grim.

The chuckle returned first, then the strange voice. "I see you understand now. Good."

"Yeah, yeah, I understand," Reno snapped, his anger flaring with the realization that he was being played with. "Just ask your questions, okay?"

"I just have the one: Where's Mother?"

_What the hell?_ "Look, man, if I don't know who you are, how am I supposed to find your Mom for you?"

"We know you have her," the voice continued, ignoring Reno's comment. "Don't bother trying to deny it. Elena here wisely decided that her pretty eyes were more important than a bit of information, so we know she passed Mother to you before you took off."

Reno's stomach had lurched at the mention of Elena's eyes, but the rest of the stranger's sentence ended all his intestinal gymnastics by dumping a ton of ice into his gut. His eyes strayed to the box on his knees. The scientists in Edge had wrapped it up neatly like some sort of sadistic present, complete with a bright yellow "ribbon" encircling it.

The guy wanted the cells. And he was calling Jenova "Mother".

Oh _shit_.

"It comes down to this: You give us Mother, and we return your friends without any further damage to them. Now, where is she?"

_In my lap. Yeah, that would go over well with Rufus._

_Rufus!_

"I, uh, I don't know," Reno stammered, ideas flooding into his head in a jumble. "Only the President knows that."

In spite of the terrible delivery, the stranger seemed to swallow the lie. "Fine. Put him on then."

"I can't. He's not here." A low growl emanating from the phone caused Reno to add, "Honestly! But I'm in the car on the way to see him. I'll have him call you as soon as we get there. It should be -" He looked to Rude for help.

"Ten minutes. Fifteen tops," Rude said, shifting the car back into gear and pulling it out onto the road. He slammed down on the gas pedal; the acceleration knocked Reno's head sharply against the headrest.

"Ten minutes. Fifteen tops," Reno repeated into the phone. He rubbed the back of his head with his free hand and took a moment to shoot an annoyed glance at his partner.

"Fine, but no later or I might start … removing things. Understand?"

Reno repressed a string of curses and instead answered, "Yeah, I understand."

"Good." The phone clicked, signaling the end of the connection.

Slowly, Reno closed the phone and returned it to his pocket. His fingers spread out over the top of the box; the nervous energy in them had disappeared.

After a minute, Rude said quietly, "Damn."

A cold smile yanked up the corners of Reno's lips. "Took the words right out of my mouth, partner."


	2. Scotch and Self Assessment

**Between the Lines**

**Description**: What happened to Reno and Rude in Advent Children during the times they were off camera. How and why they showed up where they did when they did. Rated T for language and descriptions of torture.

**Disclaimer**: Final Fantasy VII and its characters are the property of Square-Enix. Everything in this fic is just speculation on my part. I have no insider information. I also have no money, so suing me would be pointless.

A/N: I really should have titled this chapter something different. I've spent the whole day with "Scotch and Soda" going through my head ... and if you know that song, you must be older than I am! Anyway, I noticed after writing this that the style is completely different from the previous chapter, but I rather like it. Rude wouldn't let me into his head until the very end, but it fits him and his private nature. A nice contrast to Reno who is more open.

* * *

**Two: Scotch and Self-Assessment**

Rude discreetly shifted his weight from his right foot to his left and continued to wait. They had reached Healin in eight minutes thanks to Rude driving like … well, like Reno usually did. In spite of the excessive speed, an additional ten minutes had passed before anyone had answered Elena's phone. The delay had agitated Reno so much that Rufus had asked him for a scotch with the heavy implication that Reno was welcome to indulge as well.

Through the small circular window in the door, Rude watched the President talk to their new unknown enemy as he stood by the window in the main room. Rude's sharp, shaded eyes scanned carefully for any sign of fatigue in his boss, but they also took in Rufus's confidence, the easy, laid-back way he conversed with the man who had two of their own captive. Rude allowed himself a small, private smile. Reno liked to complain that the President had devolved into an overgrown, bratty toddler, but Rude knew that Rufus had many different faces and could use them all expertly if it would advance his own agenda.

He waited patiently for several more minutes, the silence broken only by the _clink_ of bottle on glass as Reno refilled his drink repeatedly. Finally, Rufus flipped the phone closed and motioned to Rude through the door.

"Reno."

His partner rose, finished the current drink, and set the glass down on the bar before joining him. Rude smirked to himself. Rufus's ordered scotch had been completely forgotten, and he knew the President would not inquire after it. As for Reno, only the slightest tinge of pink in his cheeks suggested any difference in the red-head. Rude knew from experience that Reno held his liquor _very_ well.

In the main room, Rufus returned the phone to Reno and then handed him a small piece of paper that he had produced from his pocket. "Call him," Rufus said succinctly. "Tell him you want to see him. Here."

Reno read the paper, and his brow furrowed in confusion. "Cloud, sir?"

"Yes, Cloud. He runs a delivery service in Edge now. Tell him you have a job for him."

Reno shrugged and wandered away to comply. Rufus turned to look out the window, his hands clasped lightly behind his back, and motioned with his head for Rude to come closer. When he had, Rufus said in a low voice, "They don't have Tseng and Elena."

Rude blinked, shocked. "Sir?"

"Kadaj - the leader - he wouldn't let me talk to Tseng. So I told him to make him scream for me, just to let me know he was there. He didn't. He called me a sadistic bastard and changed the subject. He doesn't have them."

Rude suppressed a shiver. He was well aware of his boss's cold efficiency, but it disturbed him when it was applied to one of their own. In a steady voice, he asked, "How could he lose them in the space of fifteen minutes?"

"I don't know. Is Reno sure it was them before?"

Rude drew himself up a little straighter, a difficult action considering how straightly he always bore himself. "_I_ am sure, sir."

Rufus's good eye glided over Rude's stony face. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly. "I see. Then we must attribute it to a spot of good fortune. Don't tell Reno, though. Not yet." Rufus turned his head to look over his shoulder at the Turk in question. "I'm not completely certain, after all, and the anger … suits him."

Rude also turned his head to watch Reno as he paced back and forth, phone to his ear.

"Come on, come _on_," Reno was muttering. "Pick up the damn phone already. … ah! …" He stopped pacing and smiled brightly. "Tifa? Hey! Are you still hanging out with that spikey-haired loser?" The smile slid from Reno's face. "… It's Reno. From the Turks. You know. Reno? …" The response must have been favorable, for his face lit up once more. "Ha! Knew you couldn't forget me. Listen, I have a job for your chocobo-head boyfriend. … What? Hey, Rude!" Reno turned to him, an evil grin spreading over his lips. "Tifa says Cloud's not her boyfriend. You want I should fix you up?"

Rude and Rufus turned back to the window together. The President sighed, "Or at least it did." Unaffected, Reno shrugged at their response and returned to his conversation.

Rufus shut his eye and kept it closed just long enough to spark Rude's concern. "Sir, you should rest now. You've been standing a long time." He crossed the room to where Rufus had abandoned his wheelchair and brought it to him. Rufus glanced briefly at him, took in the silent command, and sank into the chair with a small smile. There never was - and Rude knew there never would be - any warmth in the President's smiles, but this one held a bit of appreciation which Rude accepted.

Once he had settled, Rufus ordered, "Bring it here."

Rude walked to the couch by the door and retrieved the black box. He gave it to Rufus who inspected it closely even though, to Rude's eyes, there was nothing of interest on the outside.

"And you're sure they didn't keep any for themselves?"

"I watched them the entire time, sir. They attempted to distract me, but I insisted, as ordered."

"Good." He rested the box in his lap and covered it with a protecting hand.

"Done, sir," Reno announced, walking up to them. "Tifa said she'll pass the message along. Apparently he doesn't live there anymore." Reno's eyes dropped to the box, and Rude thought he saw his partner's nostrils flare in disgust. "So what did you tell that guy on the phone?"

"Kadaj is his name," Rufus answered. "There are three: Kadaj, Loz, and one smart enough to keep his mouth shut. I told him Cloud stole Jenova from us."

"Cloud?"

"Yes."

"Why, sir?''

Rufus treated Reno to a smile they knew well, one of sly condescension. "The last time someone ran around hurting people and rambling on about 'Mother', I essentially owned the world. And yet with all my money, power, and resources, I was unable to stop him. Cloud did. Now I have next to nothing, only the remains of my company which, while it is growing, is still not even a tenth of what it once was. What chance do I have to stop this threat now?"

Reno hung his head. To Rude's surprise and admiration, he seemed to understand the question was rhetorical. Quietly, he said, "I see, sir."

"Good."

"But, sir," Rude interjected, "why set up a meeting with Cloud?"

"Because," he answered with a smirk, "even my plans do not always turn out the way I expect. It is best to be prepared." He lifted his head slightly and said with more force, "Reno, I have nothing further for you at this time. You may relax until we hear more. Rude, this bandage should be changed. If you would be so kind as to do that?"

"Certainly, sir."

As Rude began carefully taking off the bandage surrounding Rufus's head and left eye, Reno flopped onto the couch and turned on the small TV. A few moments later, Rude glanced over at him and saw his fingers once again drumming, this time on the back of the couch.

A pang of guilt pierced Rude's chest; he quickly caught and bottled it. Rufus had ordered, and he would follow.

He looked down at the President as he gently wrapped a clean bandage around his head and secured it. _That's what makes us different. I pack my emotions away and store them elsewhere so I can do my job, but I still have them. Even though I rarely allow myself to, I still remember how to sympathize, to care, to love. I still know how to feel. Although I respect you, I will never be like you._

_And I'm perfectly fine with that._

_

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_

A/N: So the implication is that in the time it took the boys to get to Healin, Vincent swooped down and did his rescue. Convenient, yes, but in my opinion no less convenient than the whole gang dropping in just in time to fight a huge monster that's terrorizing the town. Plus, I somehow have to get Tseng and Elena fixed up in time to "catch" Rufus, so I need them out of tortureville as soon as possible.


	3. Mind Games

**Between the Lines**

**Description**: What happened to Reno and Rude in Advent Children during the times they were off camera. How and why they showed up where they did when they did. Rated T for language and descriptions of torture.

**Disclaimer**: Final Fantasy VII and its characters are the property of Square-Enix. Everything in this fic is just speculation on my part. I have no insider information. I also have no money, so suing me would be pointless.

* * *

**Three: Mind Games**

Reno carefully surveyed the situation. This was it. His next move could end the battle right here, or it could cripple him substantially. He was fairly confident in his strength, but clearly so was his opponent, who had gone so far as to risk everything he had left. Reno pretended to double-check his own weapons while secretly he scanned the other man for weakness. Even the slightest hint of it, and he would pounce.

_There!_

Internally, Reno laughed in triumph. _I have you now, my friend. You are dead_.

With carefully practiced nonchalance, Reno said, "I call. Whatcha got?"

Rude laid his cards on the table. "Two pair, Jacks and threes. You?"

Reno fanned the cards out in front of him, smiling. "Trip nines."

Rude's fist smashed down on the table, making the ice cubes in his drink jump. "You cheated!"

Laughing, Reno leaned back in his chair and offered his hands, palms up, in a gesture of innocence. "How? I've already taken off my jacket and rolled up my sleeves. Would you like me to strip down to just my modesty?"

"No. Thank. You," Rude replied with a force that sent Reno into another round of laughter. Rude leaned back into his own chair and folded his arms angrily over his chest. "Why can't I beat you?" he growled.

"Because your tells are as obvious as a reactor explosion. Now, enough stalling, man." He reached out a hand and wiggled his fingers enticingly. "Pay up."

Still grumbling, Rude removed his sunglasses and, after a noticeable hesitant pause, lowered them carefully into Reno's waiting hand. Reno joyfully placed them on his own face.

He threw out his arms wide. "How do I look?"

"Like someone who used to be my friend."

"Yeouch. Well, why don't I bribe my way back into your good graces by changing that ringtone you hate so much?" Reno dug the phone out of his pocket, flipped it open, and started pushing buttons. "You like the theme song to _My Magic Moogle_?"

"No!"

Somehow Reno managed to control his laughter. _Didn't know Rude's eyes bulge when he's upset. Good thing he wears the glasses_. "Then how 'bout a sample from an underground punk band?"

"How about a ringing sound?"

"You're kidding, right? Okay, let's see what else I -"

A sharp cry from the other room cut him off and drove both men to their feet. As Rude pushed past him to the door, Reno felt his good mood crumble into dust. That kind of sound from Rufus's lips meant only one thing. Resigned to the inevitable, he shoved the phone back into his pocket, picked up his jacket, and, throwing it over one shoulder, followed Rude into the main room.

They had left Rufus stretched out on the bed, resting, but now he was sitting up, left hand clutching his right wrist. Reno grimaced at the layer of black pus that had formed on the President's hand, not from the sight itself but from what it represented. A Geostigma flare-up. That ugly reminder of mortality and its impending conclusion. And, more importantly to Reno, a warning that a powerful man in pain would soon be taking it out on the people who worked for him.

Rude had already fetched a clean cloth from a drawer and had begun dabbing at the sticky mess as Rufus commented, "This one wasn't that bad. Not like last time." His uncovered eye casually flicked over Reno, standing in the doorway, but it quickly returned and fixed him with a piercing stare. "Why are you wearing Rude's sunglasses?"

"Poker," Reno explained. "I get to wear them for an hour."

"Hmph." Rufus frowned, and Reno braced himself. "You look like a Wall Market pimp." He returned his gaze to Rude, who had ducked his head in an attempt to hide his laughter. "Get in here. You need to get ready for Cloud's arrival. And put your jacket back on."

"Yes, sir." _That wasn't so bad_. He wandered over to the couch and draped his jacket over the back. Rolling down his sleeves, he asked, "What do you want me to do?"

"Make sure the door is unlocked. Then when Cloud comes in, I want you to engage him."

The jacket slipped through Reno's fingers and fell to the floor in a wrinkled heap. "Engage him?" Reno asked, shocked. "You mean, like, attack him?"

"Yes." Rufus's mouth curled into one of his little evil smiles. "Consider it a reflex text."

Reno frowned heavily. "Whose reflexes are you testing? Cloud's or mine?"

"Yes."

_Great_. Reno bent down, snatched up his jacket, and, straightening, angrily thrust his arms through the sleeves. He should have known he wouldn't get away with only one little insult. The President was never that considerate, small flare-up or no. Now he was going to get his ass handed to him on a plate. If he was lucky, maybe the surprise attack would allow him to get one decent hit on Cloud, but he doubted it would be enough to save him from a shitload of pain. Nothing short of decapitation could stop that guy. Maybe if he intentionally fought poorly, Cloud would take pity on him and only hurt him a little …

Rufus's annoyed voice cut through his planning. "Where is that music coming from?"

Reno suddenly realized he seemed to have a brass marching band in his pocket. He dug out his phone, saying, "Sorry, sir. It's my phone. Rude didn't like the ringtone, so I was changing it when …" He trailed off, gesturing at the President's hand, now clean and resting in his lap as if nothing had happened.

Rufus wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Isn't that the nauseatingly cheerful piece they played incessantly at my inauguration?"

"Um, yeah, I think so."

"What was your ringtone before?"

"Gold Saucer music."

"Change it back."

"Right," Reno replied, enjoying the look of displeasure on Rude's unobstructed face. A small grin tried to creep into Reno's lips, but another thought banished it again. The condition of Tseng and Elena and the current presence of Rude and Rufus severely limited the number of people who would be calling him. It was either that busty blonde from last weekend or …

He checked the ID; it confirmed his suspicions. Growling slightly, he violently flipped the phone open and lifted it to his ear. "You'd better not be calling looking for your Father this time 'cause we have a strict one parent policy here."

"Such a pleasure to talk to you again, Reno," Kadaj's voice oozed through the speaker.

"Yeah, yeah, I hate you, too." In the background, the roaring sounds of motors and … gunshots? "So what do you want?"

"I'm beginning to think your boss wasn't entirely truthful last time."

"That so?" If he tried hard enough, Reno could visualize his hand passing through the phone and emerging from Elena's, his fingers wrapping around Kadaj's neck and squeezing …

"Don't tell me you're leading me on."

"What makes you say -"

"Because I think you do have Mother there."

That was it. Reno had had enough. All the stress and guilt over Tseng and Elena, being bullied by Rufus, and now being interrupted and condescended to by this Sephiroth-wannabe prick. His rage exploded, stripping away all the sarcasm and trickery and leaving only a fiery core of raw, intense emotion.

"You little son of a bitch -"

A mocking laugh. "No need to shout."

"- I am gonna fucking kick your ass! I'm gonna -"

"I don't want to talk to you anymore," Kadaj cut in again, and this time the tone of his voice stopped Reno's tirade dead in his throat. He sounded _bored_. "Put the President on."

Reno's fury boiled over, filling his lungs with burning steam. With excruciating control, he held out the phone and enunciated, "President Shinra, _sir_. Phone call for you."

Rufus and Rude had frozen into a tableau of surprise and confusion, the President sitting on the bed with his legs over the side, Rude with one hand pushing the wheelchair and the other holding the covering sheet that Rufus used for visitors. As Reno sucked in great breaths to hold himself in check, Rufus slowly stood and walked over to him.

He reached out and took the offered phone. "Thank you, Reno," he said calmly.

The plastic had barely left his fingers when Reno slammed his fist into the wall next to him, knocking the framed ShinRa logo askew and loosing a fine rain of sawdust that fell upon his head. Rufus smiled at him encouragingly - the first non-mocking smile that Reno had seen in weeks - and raised the phone to his ear.

"Yes, Kadaj, what can I do for you? … But of course. Did you actually think I would give you that information so readily? … Ah, but you can't play that card anymore, can you? … No, I think we're done. Oh, and thank you for eliminating Cloud for me. I truly appreciate it."

He pressed the button to end the call and handed the phone back to Reno. Reno took it quietly. His anger had drained, leaving him depressed, empty, and confused at the President's final remark.

"Eliminate Cloud?"

"Yes. It sounded like he was in trouble, so I helped him out."

"But …"

"It's called psychology, Reno. Or, in terms you'll understand, a high-stakes bluff."

Reno nodded. That made sense. And he realized that Rude was right. Rufus was an arrogant, self-centered jerk who liked to see others squirm, but he could play the game better than anyone else on the planet. A true master of manipulation.

Rufus had wandered back to his wheelchair. As Rude handed him the cloth, he asked Reno, "Are you calmer now?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Call Tifa again. Have her hurry Cloud's ass up."

"Yes, sir."

"And Reno?"

"Yes?"

"Give Rude's glasses back before you break them."

"But I still have - !"

"Now, Reno."


	4. Black, White, and Shades of Silver

**Between the Lines**

**Description**: What happened to Reno and Rude in Advent Children during the times they were off camera. How and why they showed up where they did when they did. Rated T for language and descriptions of torture.

**Disclaimer**: Final Fantasy VII and its characters are the property of Square-Enix. Everything in this fic is just speculation on my part. I have no insider information. I also have no money, so suing me would be pointless.

A/N: I skipped the second Tifa phone call. Just a literary decision on my part. Enjoy!

* * *

**Four: Black, White, and Shades of Silver**

The door slowly swung inward, revealing Reno's sheepish face. Rude resisted the urge to yell at him. Cloud had been _this_ close to caving in. Rude had seen the indecision in those deep blue eyes as they flickered over the President's outstretched hand. But then Reno had opened his big mouth and ruined it.

In all the years they had been partners, Rude had never wanted so badly to _deck_ Reno as he did right at that moment.

Reno shut the door behind him and, head drooping, shoulders sagging, shuffled over to Rufus in shame. "I-I'm sorry, sir. That was really stupid of me."

_No shit_. But to Rude's surprise, the President just laughed.

"That's quite all right, Reno. I never expected him to say yes. And, although it would have been easier to just order him to do what I wanted, I have a feeling he would be more trouble than he's worth." From underneath the cloth that covered most of his face, one of Rufus's small mocking smiles peeked out at them. "I have enough trouble employees as it is."

He turned the wheelchair and directed it towards the window, presumably so he could watch Cloud's departure. Rude rounded on Reno, intending to berate him in spite of the President's forgiveness, but the sight of his poor partner stilled his tongue. Reno looked as if only the shock from not being verbally pistol-whipped was keeping him from collapsing to the floor in sheer relief. Shaking his head, Rude followed Rufus. He would get Reno back some other time.

"Strange," Rufus said as Rude approached, although he didn't know whether the President was speaking to him or just talking to himself. "Physically he seems as strong and sharp as before. But mentally … I didn't expect him to be so weak. I wonder if …" The fingers of Rufus's right hand twitched slightly, a gesture that Rude had come to realize meant that the President was thinking of his Geostigma.

Did Cloud have the disease as well? It was certainly possible, and it would explain a lot of things. The Cloud of old would never have even considered joining forces with them no matter what kind of honeyed promises Rufus offered. That Cloud was famous for wiping the floor with any and all ShinRa employees he came across. But this Cloud had listened and nearly been swayed. And this Cloud had left his family to live alone, had abandoned Tifa …

The phone in his jacket pocket vibrated. Rude retrieved it and checked the incoming number. A hospital in Edge where some of their people worked. He flipped it open to answer it.

"Yeah?"

"Rude? This is Morgan. Is the President available?"

"Hold on." Rude handed the phone to Rufus who was still preoccupied with the view out his window. "Sir, Morgan from the hospital for you."

After Rufus had taken the call, Rude wandered back to Reno who had finally recovered enough to stand without danger of toppling.

"The hospital, huh?" he said. "How come the sane people call you and I get all the weirdos?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

He scratched the back of his head absently. "I guess not." With a dramatic sigh, he dropped onto the couch to wait for their next set of directions.

Rude remained standing. His thoughts turned to the conversation that had recently occurred. Rufus had blatantly lied to Cloud about Jenova, and that worried him. True, informing a volatile man with a big sword that Jenova was in a box in a sick man's lap was not the brightest of ideas. But denying its existence didn't seem right either. Cloud was bound to find out Rufus had lied to him, either from that crackpot Kadaj or from someone else, and their already strained relationship would worsen. It wouldn't be such a problem if the President hadn't essentially declared he was counting on Cloud to fix this new mess. But with so much riding on the moody blond … well, it made him uneasy.

Rufus finished up his call and motioned for Rude to come get his phone. When he had, the President said calmly, "They've found Tseng and Elena."

Reno leapt out of his seat, his face alive with a mixture of hope and fear. "Are they okay? Who found them? Where are they?"

"Calm down, Reno." Rude moved to his side and laid a steadying hand on his shoulder.

Once Reno seemed to be breathing normally again, Rufus continued, "They're at Icicle Inn. Someone dumped them there; no one knows who. They're unconscious but alive. Morgan is having them airlifted to Edge so he can tend to them. They should be at the hospital in under an hour."

Rude allowed the relief rippling through him to bubble up into a gentle smile. Underneath his hand, Reno's tense shoulder muscles relaxed. _Good. Now we can both carry on without the worry holding us down_.

"Are we going to go see them, sir?" Reno asked, hopefully. Rude let himself hope a little, too, even though he knew what the answer would be.

"Not yet," Rufus replied, his voice suddenly business-like and sharp. "I want you two to find and follow Cloud. He's going to need some serious encouragement to face Kadaj. Give it to him. Make him want to fight. When that's done, you can meet me at the hospital."

Reno's face clearly showed what he thought of these orders, but before he could open his mouth to say something that would get him killed, Rude had moved his hand to his partner's elbow, pivoted his body to face the door, and pushed. "Got it, sir," Rude replied, continuing to force Reno out of the room.

"Cut it out, man," Reno grumbled to him. "I'm going already." He reached out, turned the handle, and opened the door.

A sick sound of flesh forcefully connecting, and Reno lurched sideways, falling to the floor.

"Reno!'

The young man outside who had punched Reno in the face raised his eyes to Rude and smiled, a self-satisfied smirk. Rude's mind took in the stranger's shoulder-length silver hair, his black clothes, and his gripping, dangerous green eyes, and it made the connection. Kadaj. And now that he had seen him, the demands for "Mother" made much more sense, and the consequences for failing to hide "her" from him seemed much more terrible.

All these things Rude's mind pondered. Rude's body, however, had no use for such worthless philosophizing and had taken immediate action. A flick of the wrist had released his EMR, and the next second found it arcing towards Kadaj's head. But with a speed and strength that seemed impossible, Kadaj met Rude's arm with his right hand and pushed it sideways across his body, leaving his side undefended. The pain of Kadaj's fist impacting with his kidney caused Rude's knees to buckle slightly, and Kadaj took advantage of the momentary weakness by sweeping Rude's feet out from under him with a quick kick. Rude managed to roll when he hit the ground, keeping his head and neck protected from a follow-up blow.

Behind Kadaj, Reno had risen to his feet again, and, as Rude paused to regain his bearings, he heard the slaps and thuds of their fists and feet meeting. Rude lifted his head, ready to rejoin the battle and make it two on one, but before he could stand, Kadaj sent a roundhouse kick crashing against Reno's head. Reno flew sideways, bounced against the wall with a sickly cracking noise, and landed on the ground. He rolled onto his back and lay still.

Kadaj, still smiling, turned to face Rude. Rude charged him. His fists flew, aiming for the young man's stomach, ribs, and jawline. But every time a punch tried to connect, it met a halting hand or only air, and in the spaces between, Kadaj's fists found their marks, slowly clouding Rude's senses with a gradual build-up of pain.

Finally, Kadaj seemed to tire of the game, for he sent a heavy punch straight into Rude's stomach, and, as Rude's head came instinctively down, Kadaj's foot swung around to meet it. Rude staggered until a final blow to his neck sent him to his knees.

Rude planted a hand on the floor, trying desperately to stay upright.

_I must … protect … the President_.

The room was spinning, turning upside-down and sideways at the same time.

_Must … protect …_

He fell headlong into the blackness.

* * *

A/N: Many thanks to my husband for being my sparring dummy to figure out the fight scene. Well, really, I ended up being the dummy since he knows more about fighting than I do. Man, that kidney hit stung, and he didn't even really punch me.


	5. Reno's Rude Awakening

**Between the Lines**

**Description**: What happened to Reno and Rude in Advent Children during the times they were off camera. How and why they showed up where they did when they did. Rated T for language and descriptions of torture.

**Disclaimer**: Final Fantasy VII and its characters are the property of Square-Enix. Everything in this fic is just speculation on my part. I have no insider information. I also have no money, so suing me would be pointless.

* * *

**Five: Reno's Rude Awakening**

Very slowly, Reno's world returned to him. The pain came first: a dull ache in his head, sharper stabbing sensations in his side and arms, and an overall feeling of fatigue. Then light began to emerge in the space beyond his eyelids, and memories started to filter through to his consciousness.

For a few minutes, Reno just concentrated on his breathing: in and out, in and out. He was alive. He had been beaten into next week by a teenager, but the bruises - and his pride - would heal. Eventually.

A shadow momentarily blocked out the light, and Reno heard soft footfalls passing by him. _Probably Rude come to get my ass up. Screw him. After all I've been through, I deserve a nap, damn it_.

He was wondering how long he could successfully pretend to be unconscious when the shadow spoke, making him suddenly very glad he had not bothered to move yet.

"It's me. … No, no problems. I told you it would be fine."

The tone was light and gentle, but Reno easily recognized the voice. Kadaj was still in the room! What had happened to Rude and Rufus?

"No. He said she fell out of the helicopter on their way here. … Yeah, that was my reaction, too. … For now, let's just stick to the plan and keep it moving forward."

Reno sure didn't like the sound of _that_.

Kadaj had paused for a substantial length of time, probably to listen to an update from the person on the other end. Eventually he continued, "Okay, so where is he now? … All right, well, call him and fill him in, and Yazoo? Make sure you get them both. … Fine. I'm going to head back. I'll meet you there. … Yeah. … That's for sure …" A pause and then a light laugh. "I'll be fine. You worry too much. … I know, I know. I'll see you later. Bye."

Who was this guy? The way he talked to this Yazoo person, he sounded like a normal kid chatting with his friend. But a normal kid couldn't lay out two high-ranking Turks in a matter of seconds the way Kadaj had done.

As the shadow moved away towards the door, Reno risked opening one eye a peek. Kadaj had stopped a moment to put the phone away. His silver hair had fallen forward, completely hiding his face. But Reno remembered exactly what those eyes looked like; he'd never be able to open a door again without seeing them flash at him in his mind. Reno also noticed the long sword hanging from Kadaj's back. A nasty-looking thing that the kid hadn't even bothered to draw. If he could cause that much damage with just his fists and knew how to wield a sword too … . Reno stopped his despairing groan just in time.

Kadaj's head flicked up, and Reno quickly shut his eye, trying his best to appear unawake and uninteresting. Once he had heard the door open and close, he slowly counted to twenty before opening his eyes and sitting up.

Rude lay on the floor, face-down, a few feet away. Reno crawled over to him as quickly as his aching body would let him. Before he had reached him, Rude's head and shoulders moved ever so slightly, dispelling Reno's worst fears, but he remained unconscious even when Reno shook his shoulder gently. Reno was impressed in spite of himself. It took a lot to knock Rude out. Back when ShinRa was more than just a handful of loyal followers, Rude had earned company-wide fame for having a three-story building fall on top of him - Reno had insisted it wasn't his fault; Tseng had mostly believed him - and then not only digging himself out but also eliminating the target as if nothing had happened.

Reno shook his indestructible partner's shoulder again. "Rude. Yo, Rude! Wake up, man. You okay?"

Rude's eyelids fluttered, and a deep groan slowly escaped his lips. "Whu … Preh ... zdent …" he breathed.

"What?"

"Where's the … President?"

"Oh!" Reno had forgotten about Rufus. He turned his body to check behind him and saw the still figure hunched over in his wheelchair. "He's right here. In his chair still. Looks like the creep knocked him out, too."

Rude rolled onto his back and, raising a hand, began to probe his head and neck for injury. "Go check on him," he told Reno.

"I will," Reno responded, "as soon as I know you're okay."

His partner smiled, a sight Reno rarely saw. "I'll be fine. Rufus signs your paychecks, you know. I would have thought you'd be more concerned."

_Yeah, but an employer can be replaced_. He didn't say it though. After all, he had an image to maintain.

Reno tried standing up, found that he could, and walked over to Rufus. He had only gone a few steps, however, when the sight before him made him stop again in horror. Black. Everywhere. A river of it from the armrest all the way down the side of the chair, and a thick pool of it on the floor. Never before had he seen this much discharge from one attack. And the _pain_ …

Side-stepping the Geostigma lake, Reno quickly knelt down in front of Rufus and moved the sheet so he could see his face. The President had lost most of his color, and his breath came in jagged gasps, but he hadn't succumbed to the disease, not yet.

Reno gently slid a hand next to either side of Rufus's face and carefully lifted his head to relieve the pressure on his neck. "Mr. President? Are you all right, sir?"

Rufus's eye gradually opened, its gaze clouded and unfocused. Reno removed his hands from the President's head, and to his relief, it stayed upright on its own.

"Sir? Are you all right?"

But his boss made no sign that he had heard; he showed no recognition, no response. Wondering what he should do next, Reno sat back on his heels. As he moved, he noticed two laminated cards on the floor. Tseng and Elena's ID badges, streaked with blood. Mechanically, Reno picked them up and put them in his jacket's breast pocket. _I don't have the time or energy for any guilt right now. Maybe later, when all this ugliness has passed_.

"Ugh."

Reno turned his head to see that Rude had recovered and come over to them. His usually closed face clearly showed his distress and concern. They both watched the President for a moment, looking for any sign of awareness in his vacant expression but finding none. Eventually, Rude left to fetch a rag so that he could clean up the mess on the floor. Reno turned over in his mind whether shaking or hitting Rufus would work and whether, if it did, it would also get him fired.

Then, with an abruptness that nearly made Reno fall over, Rufus's gaze snapped into focus, and he started to laugh uncontrollably.

Reno shot to his feet and took several steps backwards. "Um, sir?'' _Holy shit. He's finally lost it_.

"I can't believe it. I just can't believe it. I knew he was an amateur, but what complete idiocy!" The laughter overtook him again, nearly doubling him over with its force.

Reno shot a glance at Rude who had stopped his work to stare at the President. Rude's expression held mainly confusion. Reno wondered how he could be so calm when Rufus had clearly gone mental on them.

"To answer all my questions so readily, as if he wanted me to know his plans. Such arrogance. Such stupidity." Rufus placed a hand on his chest to help get himself under control. Once he had calmed down, he leaned back in his chair, still ignoring the two Turks beside him, and commented, "'Remnants' … and 'Reunion' again. Hojo would've died of happiness if he had heard that." An evil smile twitched at his mouth, and his eye turned to Reno. "Good thing he's already dead. Hmm?"

Reno swallowed, still half convinced the man in front of him was insane. Rude apparently didn't think so for he had gone back to his cleaning. "Um, yes sir."

Still smiling in a way that made Reno _very_ uncomfortable, Rufus reached up and pulled the sheet back over his eyes. He waved a hand to Rude as if to shoo him. "Leave that. I'll get someone else to clean it up. You two need to go find Cloud. I'll meet you at the hospital later."

"Sir, what if Kadaj comes back?" Rude asked, rising to his feet. Reno repressed a snort. _We'll get beaten up again. What else?_

"I'll be fine." Rufus raised his right hand and inspected the dark mark upon it. "I am his 'brother' after all." He chuckled to himself and returned his hand to the armrest. "Reno, call Morgan and have him send someone over to get me."

"Yes, sir." Reno stuck his hand in his pocket, but his fingers closed around only air. He blinked. Had it fallen out during the fight? He had half-turned around to look for it when another image popped into his head: a young man in black casually chatting while looming overtop him.

"That was my phone," Reno murmured in realization. Then he yelled, "That bastard took my phone!"

"Good," he heard Rude say quietly. Reno whirled on him, furious, but Rude had already turned to Rufus. "I'll do it, sir."

"Fine. Now get going."

"Yes, sir. Come on, Reno." Rude took him by the elbow again, but Reno quickly shook him off. He would be damned if he was going to let Rude push him around.

"Oh, no. This time _you_ go first."

* * *

A/N: If Kadaj seems too gentle and normal for you, then you need to go read one of Lily Silver's fics. Heck, go read them anyway. They're beautiful. They've also forever changed the way I view the SHM, giving them a depth and a brotherly bond that the movie never goes near. I swear, it took all I had not to have Kadaj call Yazoo 'niichan'. She's also graciously let me borrow her hospital from "Kuro to Gin" so thank you, Lily, for that as well.

I added the bit about the building falling on Rude basically for myself, to explain how he could have a huge sign fall on his head and still remain standing ... until Reno falls on him of course.


	6. Storm Chasing

**Between the Lines**

**Description**: What happened to Reno and Rude in Advent Children during the times they were off camera. How and why they showed up where they did when they did. Rated T for language and descriptions of torture.

**Disclaimer**: Final Fantasy VII and its characters are the property of Square-Enix. Everything in this fic is just speculation on my part. I have no insider information. I also have no money, so suing me would be pointless.

A/N: This chapter and the next one are a bit shorter than the others, but they were long enough to go ahead with my idea to split up chapter five. This was originally supposed to be in Reno's POV, but Rude adapted to it well, I think.

* * *

**Six: Storm Chasing**

Rude instinctively braced himself against the dashboard as Reno slammed the car into gear and launched it onto the road. He had wanted to drive, but Reno had pointed out that Rude had a call to make and therefore, for safety's sake, he should not be behind the wheel. Rude had very reluctantly given in even though he knew "safety" was not a word that hung around anywhere near Reno.

He double-checked his seatbelt to make sure it had locked. Then he triple-checked it. From the other seat, Reno laughed at him and his nervousness. No, that sound would be more accurately described as a snicker. Reno had actually _snickered_ at him.

Rude sighed and, trying to block out the sight of scenery screaming past him, took out his phone in order to call Morgan.

"Sonuvabitch," Reno complained when he saw what Rude was doing. "I can't believe he took my phone. Do you have any idea how many gorgeous women's numbers I had on that thing?"

"None," Rude replied promptly. "You don't bother to get their numbers."

A long silence passed between them. Then Reno muttered, "I need to get a partner who doesn't know me so well."

Rude laughed softly. If only Reno knew how easy he was to figure out. "So," he asked, "where are you going?"

"I dunno. Back towards Edge first. That paper Rufus gave me had an address, but Tifa said he's not there anymore. Maybe somewhere nearby?"

"Hmm. Somehow I don't think so." His mind brought up the memory of Cloud, listening to Rufus weave dreams of security, happiness, and a new world. Reno had managed to get himself locked out of the room, so he had not seen Cloud's face, the haunted look of solitude and pain. The heart that belonged to that face would not have found refuge in town. And if he did in fact have the disease, that would give him even more reason to stay away.

He said to Reno, "I think we should start somewhere where there aren't many people. Somewhere isolated."

"Isolated? Like the outskirts of town?"

"Or the ruins." That would be a perfect place to hide: empty of people, full of memories.

"The ruins?" Reno rolled his eyes. "Shit, if he's hiding in there, we'll never find him."

"We used to find people there all the time," Rude reminded him. Memories tugged at his heart, some good, some bad, all of them carrying a feeling of sadness. It had been two years, but Rude still missed Midgar. The way the city seemed to be alive. Its destruction had felt more like a death.

Reno continued their conversation, apparently unhindered by the past. "Yeah, but that was before it fell in on itself. And we usually had an idea what sector to start in, you know? If we have to --" Reno stopped. He sat very still for a moment, his eyes wide and bright. Then: "I know where to start looking. You call Morgan and order up that car. I know where I'm going."

"You do?"

"Trust me on this."

"All right." Rude opened his phone, brought up his contacts, and scrolled down until he found the right number.

A tired-sounding woman answered the other end. "Silvereave Hospital. How may I direct your call?"

"Dr. William Morgan please. A message from Rufus Shinra."

That woke her up as Rude knew it would. "One moment, sir. I'll transfer you directly."

As expected, Rude had to wait more than just one moment since no one could ever transfer directly to Morgan. The hospital staff bounced him around the departments for nearly ten minutes, including twice more to the poor woman working the front desk, before he found himself talking to one of the doctor's staff. Then he had to wait for them to find Morgan since the man always seemed to be in surgery or with a patient. Rude bore it all without complaint. This sort of thing happened every time.

Finally, the man he wanted picked up the other line. "Doctor Morgan."

"Morgan, it's Rude."

"Hey, Rude, what can I do for you?"

"The President wants to come see Tseng and Elena, but Reno and I are out on an assignment. He wants you to send someone to pick him up."

"Sure, no problem. He won't be able to see them for a while, but he's welcome to hang out here until they're stable. Does he want a car or the chopper?"

"I don't know."

"Then I'll send both. Anything else?"

"No."

"All right. I'll see you later." He hung up.

Rude closed his phone with a small smile. He liked Morgan. The man was fast and efficient. If anyone could crack Geostigma, he would. The only question remaining was would he be able to do it in time. Rufus's most recent attack had been dreadful, the worst they'd ever seen. It made Rude feel as if somewhere a button had been pressed and the countdown had begun.

For the rest of the trip, Rude sat in silence, content simply to trust Reno. The red-head surprisingly offered no conversation, driving with an intent look on his face that made his aggressive style even more frightening. Rude used the quiet time to think about Cloud and how they could possibly convince him to fight. The way the blond had acted earlier, Rude doubted that even a direct threat to his loved ones would motivate him. The difference between success and failure would probably come down to luck; Rude hated missions like that.

The car rounded a corner, and the top of what had once been ShinRa Headquarters came into view, stealing Rude's thoughts away. He gazed at the crumbling building as images and sounds flooded into his head. He could still remember every corner of his old office. Tseng's extension and the message on his machine. The view from the elevator. The streetsigns and storefronts on his walk home. The music that played in his favorite bar and the face of the barmaid who always seemed to smile more brightly at him. The way Reno would tease him once she had left. The lights that shone out from every direction even late at night.

_We'll build it again. It might take years, but some day we'll have it back. And this time we'll do it right_.

Rude glanced over at his partner and smiled.

* * *

A/N: It's funny how much a place can become a part of you. My parents moved out of the house I grew up in nearly ten years ago, but I can still see every detail in my mind. The placement of all the furniture, the views from all the windows, every knick-knack on the shelves. And I still sometimes think about trying to buy it for my own family even though I know I never will. That house is just like a living thing that I still love. I imagine Midgar was the same for many people. 


	7. Lilies in the Valley

**Between the Lines**

**Description**: What happened to Reno and Rude in Advent Children during the times they were off camera. How and why they showed up where they did when they did. Rated T for language and descriptions of torture.

**Disclaimer**: Final Fantasy VII and its characters are the property of Square-Enix. Everything in this fic is just speculation on my part. I have no insider information. I also have no money, so suing me would be pointless.

* * *

**Seven: Lilies in the Valley**

Reno turned off the car and flung open the door. He could see the church ahead; it was one of the only buildings still intact in the entire sector. Unfortunately, one of the less sturdy buildings had fallen across the road in a jumble of rock and metal, leaving a gap too small for the car to fit through. They would have to walk the rest of the way.

As soon as the memory had popped into Reno's head, he had known that this was where Cloud would be. He could still remember Cloud glaring at him, hatred for ShinRa all over his face, and the girl telling them both not to step on the flowers. Reno smiled to himself. Man, had Tseng had the hots for her. In a sick way, it had almost been fitting for Sephiroth to turn them both into shish kabob. But then Tseng had lived, and the girl hadn't.

"Reno."

Reno looked up and saw, as Rude had, the massive motorcycle parked in front of the church entrance.

"Ha, what did I tell you?" He stopped and, hooking his thumbs in his pockets and leaning back on one foot, gazed with self-satisfaction at Rude. "So, what should we do now?"

"Go in."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that." Rude started to move forward again. Surprised and a bit worried, Reno followed. He truly doubted Cloud would be happy to see Turks in that church again, not after they had stalked and finally kidnapped the friend who used to spend so much time there.

"Do you know what you're going to say to him?"

"Not yet."

"You have a death wish, partner?"

"Not to my knowledge." Rude had reached the doors, which were standing open, and walked through without hesitation. After a slight pause, Reno went in as well, deciding that even if Rude had lost all sense of self-preservation, he should be there to provide backup if needed.

To Reno's surprise, the church looked completely empty and almost unchanged since the previous time he had seen it. A row of pews sat on each side as they walked in, although some of them lay scattered about. Great stone columns rose to the ceiling. Double-stacked stained-glass windows that had miraculously survived the years unscathed sparkled with a wide variety of color. In fact, the only sign in the entire building that the city above it had fallen was the great hole in the back wall that let the light pour down on a large field of white and yellow flowers.

Rude had stopped several steps in, and Reno walked up beside him. "So, where is he?" Reno asked. Rude merely shrugged, still scanning with his eyes. Reno sighed and looked around again, moving a bit further into the room. His gaze wandered over the flower bed again, and this time he noticed two black lumps lying in the middle of it, neither of them moving.

"Shit!" Reno cried, suddenly realizing what they were, and ran across the room to them, Rude following on his heels. A quick check reassured him they were both still alive, but neither looked very good. Tifa looked like she had been smacked around quite a bit, and Cloud had turned an ugly shade of white. Neither responded to anything Reno did.

"Damn it," Reno said after a few minutes. "What happened here?"

Rude had wandered off to inspect the area. He replied from the remains of a stone column, "Looks like a fight."

"How can you tell?"

"This damage is fresh." Rude sifted some of the dust between his gloved fingers. Then he wandered over to a shoulder-high dent in the wall. "This one, too."

Reno looked down at Tifa's face, her bruises telling new stories. "Must have been one of Kadaj's creeps."

"Very likely."

Reno stood from where he had knelt next to the pair and brushed the dirt and petals from his pants. He turned to Rude who had walked over to him again. "So, hospital you think? Or home?"

"You know where 'home' is for them?"

"Not exactly, but I have their address, so I can figure it out."

Rude gazed down at them for a long moment before replying, "Home." He bent down and scooped Tifa up in his arms. He had turned and begun to walk out when Reno stopped him.

"Wait a minute! How come you get to carry the pretty and, more importantly, light girl while I get stuck with the sword-toting musclehead?"

Rude looked down at Tifa, then back up at Reno, and replied seriously, "Because I picked her up first." He turned and carried her out.

Grumbling, Reno glared down at Cloud. He had half-raised a foot to kick him in frustration when he saw something all too familiar. Black. Everywhere. The removal of Tifa had revealed a patch of flowers covered in Geostigma discharge. Cloud's ashen face suddenly meant much more.

Reno knelt down again, this time scanning Cloud for the signs he had come to know so well from taking care of Rufus. The glove of Cloud's left hand, he discovered, had a thin film of discharge along the outer line. The stigma could have settled on his hand, the way it had done with the President, but the long billowy sleeve on Cloud's left arm drew Reno's eye. Gently, he reached out and pushed the fabric up towards Cloud's shoulder, exposing the flesh hidden underneath.

Reno sucked his breath in sharply through his teeth. _The poor sap. No wonder he wants to be alone_. He stared at it a moment more, hypnotized by the horrific sight, before releasing the sleeve and sitting back. This terrible disease. How many would it claim before it was finished? Reno didn't know much about it - no one did - but it looked to him like Cloud didn't have much time left. And then those who cared about him, Tifa in particular, would be heart-broken.

Very slowly, a sly grin spread over Reno's face. He took Cloud's wrists, wrapped them around his neck, and, with a fair amount of difficulty, stood up, hefting the other man onto his back. As he shuffled out of the church and began the all-too-long walk back to the car, his mind plotted. Oh yes, Rude would pay for leaving him to carry this idiot. Reno was going to tease him within an inch of his life.


	8. No Stone Unturned

**Between the Lines**

**Description**: What happened to Reno and Rude in Advent Children during the times they were off camera. How and why they showed up where they did when they did. Rated T for language and descriptions of torture.

**Disclaimer**: Final Fantasy VII and its characters are the property of Square-Enix. Everything in this fic is just speculation on my part. I have no insider information. I also have no money, so suing me would be pointless.

* * *

**Eight: No Stone Unturned**

Reno clomped down the stairs ahead of Rude, clearly annoyed at Cloud's lack of response. Rude had to admit he was disappointed as well; the way he had slammed the door behind himself attested to that. Cloud had shown no gratitude for being rescued, no concern for the missing children, and absolutely no drive to run out and start saving the world.

At the small landing where the stairs turned to the left, Reno had walked forward into a room rather than continue on to the first floor. Just inside the door, he turned and waited with crossed arms for Rude to follow him in. Rude stepped into a room almost bare of furniture. A simple bed sat against the wall, obviously unused for some time. Pieces of paper lay scattered on the lone desk like a thin coating of snow. The sickly light that filtered through the shaded windows added to the general feeling of cold solitude. Cloud's room.

"So," Reno said, drawing Rude's attention back to their mission, "what do we do now?" He kicked absently at a few stray pieces of paper.

Rude shrugged, at a loss. His eyes wandered again - _Why did Cloud have a tire in here?_ - and eventually found a small framed photograph on the desk. He took the few steps across the room and picked it up. Tifa smiled at him, Cloud ignored him, and two small children regarded him with mixed expressions of shyness and innocence.

"Cute kids." Reno had moved to peer over his shoulder.

"You hate kids," Rude commented.

"True." He threw a glance at the closed door up the stairs and leaned back on his heels, plunging his hands into his pockets. "'Course if I had some, I think I'd be worried if they got kidnapped by a psycho."

Rude suppressed a wry smile. How many parents' children had Reno taken away over the years? "We don't know Kadaj took them, Reno. They could be out playing."

"In Edge?" Reno asked incredulously, turning his eyes back to Rude. "Where they gonna go? The local park?"

"Kids will find a way to be kids," Rude replied, looking at the little girl's eyes. They sparkled with a happy optimism that made the whole frozen scene warm and bright. A single sunbeam captured and kept within a cold plastic frame. A child like that could make the dreary world of Edge more than bearable with the power of her spirit.

Reno's slightly annoyed voice pulled him from the picture. "I'll bet you 500 gil Kadaj has them. I told you I heard him plotting with one of his gang - on _my_ phone, you know."

"I'll pass on that bet." Rude turned, photograph still in hand, and began walking towards the door. "Let's see if we can find out for certain what happened to them."

"You think someone saw them?" Reno asked, following.

"It's possible. We can start around here and then -"

The door at the top of the stairs slowly opened; Rude stopped in the lower room's entranceway, waiting. Cloud stared at them for a long moment before moving down the steps. Then, his eyes caught the photograph, and his feet stopped. Slowly, Cloud's gaze lifted to Rude's face and tried to burrow inside him.

Briefly, Rude debated with himself whether or not to engage in a game of silence chicken with the other man, but he quickly decided it would not be worth the time lost. "We're going to look for them," he explained.

His eyes betraying a small glint of relief, Cloud nodded in response. He half-turned up the stairs again, but paused, eyes staring off at a point somewhere beyond the wall. In a soft voice, he commented, "The girl's name is Marlene. The boy is Denzel."

Behind Rude, Reno spoke, and the sharp clarity of his partner's voice, compared to Cloud's vague quietness, made Rude jump. "Okay. We'll find them." He pushed past Rude and continued on down the stairs, clearly unwilling to deal with Cloud a minute longer. Rude turned to follow him when Cloud unexpectedly spoke again.

"Thank you." He climbed the stairs he had just descended and returned to the room where Tifa lay still unconscious. Rude watched him go, extremely pessimistic about the assignment Rufus had given them. Once the door had closed again, he followed where Reno had gone. Together they left the bar to start their search.

One extremely frustrating hour later, they still had found no trace of the two children. They had, however, found a dozen worried mothers similarly trying to locate their offspring. Rude had quickly realized that Reno would have won his bet, but without proof and without a clue as to where Kadaj had taken them, they had no hope of convincing Cloud to take action.

The gray-and-black-clad man in front of him handed back the photograph and shook his head. "Sorry," he said before walking away.

Unemotionally, Rude turned and looked for someone else to ask. He had shifted into automatic mode so that he could handle the constant disappointment without becoming dejected. Reno, who had no such switch, had burned out after only twenty minutes and now stood grumbling behind him, leaning against a building and looking like hellfire. Perhaps that was what attracted the unfortunate young man who appeared from nowhere to stand at Rude's elbow.

"Excuse me?" A well-scrubbed and painfully enthusiastic face beamed at him. "Would either of you gentlemen be kind enough to peruse some of our group's literature?" He thrust a paper at Rude who had to lurch backwards in order to avoid it.

"Look, kid-" Rude began gruffly, but Reno leapt at the paper, taking it with an encouraging smile.

"I'd love to," he said in a tone so bright and fake that any half-intelligent person would have turned and fled. This kid only smiled more. Rude snorted at his partner and moved back to watch.

"I wonder," the victim continued, "if you have ever truly contemplated the importance of your eternal soul."

Reno crinkled his brow theatrically. "My eternal soul?" He paused a moment before crying, "Oh yeah, I remember that thing. I didn't have much use for it, so I got rid of it." He pretended to study the pamphlet.

The young man's eyes widened. "You … got rid … ?"

"Yeah," Reno continued, his evil enjoyment evident to Rude's ears. "I gave it to a hooker with a heart of gold. Twenty-four carat and everything. She kept it in a box."

Rude swallowed a laugh at the kid's horrified expression. "Um ... well ..." he stammered, backing away, "thanks for … I have to …" He gestured incoherently for a bit, then ran off in the opposite direction.

"You really need to stop doing that," Rude commented as Reno rejoined him.

"Normal people piss me off," he replied, crumpling up the paper and tossing it aside.

"Hey."

Rude pivoted on his heel to see another fresh face staring at him. What was this? Had all the stupid ones come out today? But as he looked at this boy, a few years younger than the previous one, he saw a great deal of knowledge and experience looking out at him from two icy blue eyes.

"You the guys looking for the Geostigma kids?"

"Yeah, that's us," Reno answered.

The boy quickly sized them up. "You're Turks," he informed them with a frown. "What do you want with them? Planning on experimenting on them?"

The accusation pricked at Rude's conscience. Just last week Morgan had told the President that most of his test subjects had succumbed, and Rufus had suggested plucking new ones from the streets. "No," he answered. "We're just looking for two of them. For a friend."

He held out the photograph, and the boy took it. The suspicion in his face turned to surprise. "Denzel and Marlene?" He raised his eyes to them. "You're friends with Cloud and Tifa?"

"Let's just say they're old acquaintances. Do you know where they are?"

The boy appeared to debate with himself for a minute; then he handed back the photograph and said, "Not Marlene, but I know where Denzel and the other kids with the stigma went. A couple of guys showed up with a truck. They went with them."

"What did these guys look like?" Reno asked.

"One was big and bulky. Short hair. Don't know what his name was. The other one, he talked to me and my little brother. Said his name was Yazoo. He was kinda skinny, and his hair was really long, like a girl's. Both of them had silvery hair and these weird green eyes."

Reno smirked at Rude. "See? Told ya it was them."

"Yes," Rude replied patiently, "but now we know for certain." He returned his attention to the boy who was regarding them with interest. "Do you know where they went?"

"Not exactly." He ran a hand nervously through his blond hair. "Jimmy - my little brother - he didn't want to go with them. Our mom's sick. But I told him I'd take care of her and that he should go. And Yazoo said he'd get to see these pretty white trees and houses made out of giant seashells."

Rude's heart sank, and Reno commented, "Great. Cloud's gonna love that."

The boy shifted his weight from one foot to the other, and Rude noticed a fair amount of worry creeping into his young face. Rude replayed the boy's last few sentences in his head and discovered something odd.

"You said you encouraged your brother to go. With two strange adults. Why?"

Doubt-filled blue eyes gazed at him. "Well, they told the kids they could cure their stigma." When both Reno and Rude pulled back in shock, the boy continued sadly, "But that was a lie, wasn't it? I kinda thought it was. But if there was even a tiny bit of a chance it wasn't … and if they kill him, well, he was going to die anyway." He raised his eyes to Rude once more. "Are they going to hurt him, you think?"

"Honestly," Rude replied as gently as he could, "we don't know."

"Okay." After a moment's pause, he suddenly perked up and said, "I've told you all I know. If you're going after them, I'll wish you good luck. Although if it was me, I'd tell Cloud to get off his mopey butt and do it himself."

Reno laughed, and even Rude couldn't contain his smile. "I like you, kid," Reno told him. "What's your name anyway? How old are you?"

"Aaron. I'm fifteen."

"Well, Aaron, in a few years if you're in the market for a job, come look us up."

Aaron smiled slightly. "Thanks but no thanks. I'd like to keep my soul, and not in a box." He turned and began to walk away.

"Hey, it was the heart she kept in the box, not the soul. Get it right, kid!"

"Reno," Rude interrupted, placing a hand on his partner's shoulder. "Let's go."

"Yeah, sure."

As they walked back to the bar, Rude noticed the sun had nearly finished setting and darkness had begun to fall over the city. Here and there little lights popped into existence. They reminded Rude, to his dismay, of the floating glints of light in the Forgotten City. It had been two years, but so many things still seemed to come back to the girl Ancient, as if she had not just returned to the planet but had become it. As if she were guiding events to go the way she wanted.

In front of him, Reno opened the door to 7th Heaven and held it for Rude to pass through. As he did, Rude brought up the girl's face in his mind and quietly asked for her forgiveness.

* * *

A/N: I based Aaron off my son, or what I imagine he'll be like in eleven years. The "witness" seemed to me to be an extremely important hole to fill. Sure, a random adult could have seen the truck leaving, but I also needed to point R&R to the FC. Hence the hesitant child, the older sibling, and Yazoo trying to bribe the former with beautiful sights while the latter was in earshot.


	9. The Cost of Living

**Between the Lines**

**Description**: What happened to Reno and Rude in Advent Children during the times they were off camera. How and why they showed up where they did when they did. Rated T for language and descriptions of torture.

**Disclaimer**: Final Fantasy VII and its characters are the property of Square-Enix. Everything in this fic is just speculation on my part. I have no insider information. I also have no money, so suing me would be pointless.

A/N: Another kind of long chapter. But this one was important to me since it has - **_warning, warning_** - detailed descriptions of Tseng and Elena's torture. It really bothered me how they went from being "half-dead" as Vincent says to perfectly fine the next day without any scratches, bruises, or swelling. So this chapter has my explanation of it.

* * *

**Nine: The Cost of Living**

The chilly evening air washed over Reno's hot face as he left 7th Heaven and escaped the blazing fireball of virtuous anger that was Tifa Lockheart. He knew from experience that she never pulled punches with her enemies, but he hadn't expected her to do the same with her friends. Reno had pegged Tifa as the nurturing type, not the bash 'em over the head with a sledgehammer type.

She had certainly let Cloud have it. Reno had actually been embarrassed to be present, so much so that he had attempted to leave the room. _I mean, really, it's bad enough the poor guy had to be tongue-lashed, but to have witnesses too? That kind of shit leaves scars for life. Not that he has much longer to live._

On the bright side, she had essentially done their job for them. Thanks to Tifa, Cloud would go to the Forgotten City where he would face Kadaj, just like Rufus wanted, and Reno and Rude could head off to Silvereave to check on Tseng and Elena. Reno had to admit he owed Tifa some gratitude for that. He wasn't sure how much more of angst-boy he would have been able to take.

A stiff wind whipped through his jacket, ruffling his untucked shirt, and Reno suddenly realized he was alone out there in the dark. He turned around, looking for Rude and, not finding him, yanked the door to the bar back open. His partner stood just inside the entrance, his eyes staring over at the stairs.

"What the hell are you doing?" Reno demanded. "We're done here, right? Let's go."

Rude shook his head very slightly. "We need to be certain," he replied.

Reno half-sighed, half-growled in frustration. Rude _always_ had to "be certain". He could never just go with his instincts or trust common sense. To be fair, his insistence on confirmation had saved Reno's ass a couple of times in the past - just a couple - but in a situation like this, it was overkill. Maddening, time-wasting overkill. Reno propped himself against the open door, refusing to come inside again, and waited.

A few minutes later, the two Turks heard the sounds of a door opening and heavy feet walking down the stairs. As expected, Cloud appeared. He paid them no mind and continued moving forward, glancing only briefly in Reno's direction before passing through the open door and exiting into the night.

Reno cocked one eyebrow at Rude and, with more than a little self-satisfaction, asked, "_Now_ can we go?"

Rude gazed at him impassively through his sunglasses. "Yes, Reno, now we can go."

"Wait."

Both Reno and Rude turned in surprise to find Tifa standing on the stairs. Her dark eyes examined them with a mixture of distrust and gratitude. "I have to say," she began, "it was quite a coincidence that you two happened to be passing by that old, run-down church in the middle of a ghost town." Reno opened his mouth to start an excuse, but Tifa cut him off with a simple smile. "But it's okay. I don't need to know why you were there. I'm just glad you were. Thank you for helping me and Cloud and for looking for Marlene and Denzel. It was very kind of you."

Reno swallowed. He had the unsettling feeling that his face was rapidly turning the color of his hair. Pretty girls weren't supposed to say things like that to him, especially when kindness almost never influenced his decisions.

Thankfully, Rude came to his rescue. "You're welcome," he replied simply.

Tifa continued to smile as her eyes traveled back and forth between them. After a moment of meaningful silence, she nodded once and ordered, "Now get the hell out of my bar."

Reno smiled. There was the Tifa he was used to. He mock-saluted her and said, "Yes, ma'am." Rude had already begun moving out of the room, so Reno stepped backwards to let him through and then released the door. It shut with a comforting sound of finality.

Once they were safely on their way to the hospital, Reno risked an admiring whistle. "She's quite the firebrand. I don't know if even you could handle her. You sure you want to try it?"

"Reno," Rude grumbled, clearly annoyed, "why are you so set on fixing me up with Tifa?"

Reno grinned evilly. "You revealed your heart to me, remember? At that backwater hick-town we had to stake out."

His partner sighed. "That was _two years_ ago."

"Yes, but true love never dies!"

"What would you know about love, true or otherwise?"

"Not much," Reno admitted with a shrug. "But I did read up on it some when I found Elena's stash of romance novels."

Rude stopped walking and stared at Reno in shock. "Elena reads romance novels?" Reno only grinned in response. After a minute, Rude shook his head and continued forward. "Never would have guessed that," he commented quietly to himself. Reno walked beside him, a definite skip in his step from the joy of revealing one co-worker's embarrassing secret to another.

Eventually, the gray stonework of Silvereave Hospital loomed over them, a dark presence in the night. Reno took a moment to gaze up at the building from the warm halo of a streetlight. _Funny how this place gives me the creeps. It's a place where sick and hurt people come to get better. So why does it feel evil to me?_ He shook his head forcefully. _Stop being an ass, Reno. It's just a frigging building._ Rude had already passed through the glass doors, and Reno quickly followed him.

Inside, Reno let Rude deal with the overly-plump woman behind the desk. Experience had taught both of them that these people with their slow, deliberate movements and their blank, stupid looks sent Reno into a wild, incoherent rage faster than you could say, "What part of _death_ didn't you understand?" So Rude did the negotiating while Reno fantasized about knocking down the building and squashing them all.

Reno let his eyes drift aimlessly around the empty waiting room - visiting hours had ended a while ago - until they found a corner where someone had set up a small coffeemaker in an attempt to make the place more pleasant. Coffee actually sounded good after a day as long as this one, so Reno walked over, pulled a styrofoam cup from the stack, and poured himself a generous amount. It was pure sludge. Quite possibly the most disgusting stuff he had ever tasted. Reno spit the mouthful he had taken back into the cup and poured the entire thing over a depressed-looking potted plant that sat on the table nearby. He balanced the cup on top of it like a hat.

"Reno," Rude called to him from the other side of the room. Another woman, this one grouchy-looking, stood in the open door that led inside the hospital. Reno quickly joined them, waved off the "Visitor" badge the woman offered, and headed toward the elevator that would take them to ShinRa's wing. The woman scuttled along behind him; her hurried footsteps and disapproving clucks made Reno smile.

Rufus was waiting for them as expected, the sheet over his upper body making him look like a large pile of laundry. Rude crossed the room to report the success of their mission. Reno was very grateful to him for that; he had just seen the bodies in the beds and knew he wouldn't be able to talk for awhile.

Tseng lay in the bed closer to the door. Reno looked down on him, guilt raking through his chest. The various doctors from Icicle Inn to here had bandaged or sewn most of the cuts that all but covered Tseng's chest and handsome face, but Reno could still see them, could still imagine how they had gotten there. He watched Tseng's chest rise and fall for a few minutes, taking comfort in the action of breath, even if the lips that the air passed through were cracked and swollen.

"Mr. President!" a clear and jarringly happy voice rang out from the doorway. "I'm so sorry I couldn't come to see you until now."

Reno's mind registered the long brown ponytail, scruffy beard, and round wire-framed glasses that passed by as Rufus replied, "I understand, Doctor."

Morgan yanked a clipboard from the bottom of Tseng's bed, flashing a smile at Reno, and then moved to Elena's bed to do the same. "I assume you'd like a full report now?" he said to Rufus.

"Please."

"All right. The male and female sustained almost identical injuries, although in the male's case, they tended to be slightly more severe, probably indicative of his ability to withstand more pain compared to the female."

_Their names are Tseng and Elena_. Reno reached into his breast pocket and pulled out the two cards he had retrieved from the floor in Healin. _Tseng and Elena_. Absently, he scraped at the dried blood with a fingernail. His ears continued to listen, but his mind pulled itself away to spare him the pain and anger.

"Both have been cut multiple times on the arms and legs with a small blade. The male has an incision from the right ear to the jawline. The female has one from temple to temple running across the hairline. They were also punctured multiple times in the thighs and back with a larger blade. The consistent spacing of the wounds suggest that it was a double-bladed weapon used. Using this theory, the count is four times in the female, six in the male.

"Based on your previous reports, my colleagues in the north looked for and found a bullet in each: the left shoulder of the female and the upper right arm of the male. These were removed before they were sent here. Both patients have a great deal of bruising from various impacts, and they have multiple burns on their chests and backs, probably from an electrical source. And finally, the left hand on each has had all of the finger bones broken, most likely done individually to elicit the maximum level of pain."

"Fine. How soon can you get them on their feet?"

"Well, the bullet entries, the incisions, and the punctures have all been treated, and, due to the patients' previous enhancements that they received here, they are all healing quite rapidly. I would expect that in a matter of hours they will have entirely disappeared. The bruises and burns as well. The slowest to recover will be the bones. I can give them an accelerator, but I'll need your signature for that."

"Where?"

"This sheet here. Here and here. One for each of them."

"Fine. And make sure they're both up-to-date on their programs. I want those wounds dealt with and both of them back in action as soon as possible."

"Actually, Mr. President, this would be a perfect opportunity to update their programs with a more modern set of modifications. Instead of healing the bones, I could remove the hand and replace it with one of these. And if you look further down the list, there are some new options available."

"I don't think so. Tseng would never forgive me if I modified him without his approval, and Elena is deadly enough as she is. But what's this one? It looks very interesting."

"Oh, that one is completely new. Only lab-tested in fact. I would be very grateful, Mr. President, if you could find someone to field test it for me."

"Yes, I'll definitely send someone over as soon as I have the opportunity. But nothing for these two. Just patch them and send them back."

"All right, sir."

Reno gently ran the edge of his hand over the plastic, brushing away the last flakes of blood from the cards. _This building has no sense of good or evil. It's just stone and steel. But the people inside …_

Rude's hand shook him from his thoughts. "Did you hear me? I said the President told us we could leave."

"Oh."

"I thought I'd go get a drink before heading home. You want to come?"

"Oh yeah." Reno placed the cards on the table beside Tseng's head before turning to leave. "I need to get seriously drunk."

* * *

A/N: I have to admit that my use of Lily's hospital for this chapter was based solely on that poor potted plant. Thank you, Lily, for letting me abuse it.


	10. Speed Reading

**Between the Lines**

**Description**: What happened to Reno and Rude in Advent Children during the times they were off camera. How and why they showed up where they did when they did. Rated T for language and descriptions of torture.

**Disclaimer**: Final Fantasy VII and its characters are the property of Square-Enix. Everything in this fic is just speculation on my part. I have no insider information. I also have no money, so suing me would be pointless.

A/N: Wow, this chapter is long, but I just couldn't break it up this time. It's also extremely fast-paced, reflecting poor R&R's manic morning. I need to remember never to put four locations in one chapter again. Way too much back and forth.

* * *

**Ten: Speed Reading**

From the shuffling sounds and muted cursing, Rude could tell that Reno was awake albeit not pleased to be so. He knocked on the door again.

"I'm _coming_ already!" the angry voice informed him.

Rude sighed. He had known after dragging a nearly unconscious Reno back to his apartment the previous night that this would happen. So he had come prepared. He took one of his secret weapons, which had been carefully balanced on top of the other, in his right hand so that he had one in each. Then, he waited.

Eventually, the door opened, revealing a rather wet Reno in nothing but a navy-blue towel. He glared at Rude with blood-shot eyes. "What the hell do you want?"

Rude blinked, impressed. He hadn't expected his partner to have showered. "I've come to pick you up. Rufus wants us to meet him at the hotel this morning."

Reno growled, pinching the skin between his eyes with two fingers. He muttered, "It's too fucking early for this."

"It's 8:45," Rude informed him. "The President quite graciously let us sleep in."

"Yeah, but I didn't get to bed until 4 AM."

"I know. I had to haul your sorry ass back here."

Reno laughed briefly, but he soon stopped, grimacing in pain. Rude offered the large cup of coffee he held in his left hand. Reno took it gratefully.

"Thanks." He turned back into the apartment and disappeared from view. "You can come in if you want."

"No thanks," Rude replied. He knew that any living space Reno occupied always looked as if a bomb had exploded in the middle of it. Trying to find a detritus-free place to sit was not an activity he wanted to pursue at the moment. Plus, he had just seen the towel soar through the air and land on the back of the couch.

"I'll wait out here if it's all the same."

"Suit yourself."

A few minutes later, Reno appeared again, this time fully clothed with a set of keys in one hand and the coffee in the other. He stepped out into the hallway, closed and locked the door, and put the keys in his pocket. Then he lifted his hand to his head and ruffled his damp hair in an attempt to get it a little bit drier. A few stray drops of water smacked Rude in the face. He swallowed his annoyance and instead offered the anti-hangover weapon in his right hand.

"Here. I got this for you, too."

Reno's bleary eyes lit up and his whole face brightened when he saw the cream-filled donut. "Excellent! Rude, you are absolutely the best!" He lovingly took the sweet treat in his free hand; all his previous irritation had disappeared.

Rude nodded to himself, satisfied. Caffeine and sugar. Worked every time. He began walking to the elevator, and Reno followed him, happily licking chocolate frosting from his lips and making little purring noises in the back of his throat.

By the time they reached the street, Reno had finished the donut and was sucking his fingers, trying to get every last bit of sugar that still clung to them. Once he was convinced that he had succeeded, he downed the rest of the coffee and then squeezed the empty cup until it collapsed with a satisfying crunch. He wandered over to a nearby curb-side trashcan to throw the cup away. Rude watched him out of habit.

The street they walked was currently empty. Rude could see a few people some ways down going about their business, but on this block the two men were alone and something close to silence surrounded them. So when engines roared behind them, Rude instinctively turned to investigate the approaching vehicles.

Two motorcycles and a truck. Coming _fast_.

He whirled around, hand outstretched, and cried, "Reno! Look out!"

Before Reno could react, the first motorcycle flew past him, billowing out his jacket and whipping his ponytail horizontal. Rude saw his partner open his mouth, but the passage of the other two vehicles drowned out the subsequent string of curses.

"-vabitch! Watch it, will ya?" He turned a grouchy face to Rude, expecting sympathy.

But Rude's eyes had followed the truck, and what he saw in its bed stunned him. Dozens of children. Hunched and motionless. Little bundles of silent suffering.

The truck continued on towards the heart of the city, but the two bikes had pulled over to the side of the road. Their silver-haired drivers looked back at them. Rude's stomach clenched. He easily recognized Kadaj, and the other looked just as dangerous, if not more so. Based on the short spiked hair and the thick, muscular arms, Rude concluded that this must be Loz, which left the as-of-yet-unseen Yazoo driving the truck.

"The hell?" Reno's eyes had finally followed Rude's gaze.

As the two shocked Turks looked at them, Kadaj leaned over to Loz and said something in his ear, all the while smirking at the men they had nearly run over. Loz laughed at Kadaj's comment. For several long seconds, two sets of sharp green eyes stared over shoulders with menacing amusement; then the two riders coaxed their bikes into life again and sped away.

"Shit," Reno commented predictably.

"Indeed," Rude replied. He shook himself from his stupor and forced his feet to move. "Come on."

"Where we going?" Reno called after him, trying to keep pace with Rude's fast stride.

"Rufus. To report."

Rude's thoughts raced through his mind even as his feet sped over the sidewalk. What had happened to Cloud? He had clearly failed to eliminate Kadaj, and although it was possible he had saved a few of the children, he had not rescued them all. Was he lying dead in a snowbank somewhere? Or had the adversaries crossed without their knowledge, causing Cloud to search the northern mountains for an enemy that was no longer there? Why had the three returned to Edge and why had they brought the children with them? What had they wanted them for in the first place?

By the time they reached the hotel and had traveled to Rufus's suite on the top floor, Rude still did not have answers to any of his questions, but all the same he put them aside. Questions could wait for personal time. Now he was back on the clock. The President's man. Rude opened the door to the apartment and stepped inside, Reno on his heels.

Unsurprisingly, Rufus was not pleased to hear of Kadaj's return. All the while Rude gave his report, the President tapped angry fingers on the box in his lap, and when Rude had finished speaking, he rose and paced the room, muttering darkly to himself. Reno and Rude waited patiently for him to formulate a new plan and to give them new orders.

After several minutes, Rufus finally turned to them and said, "See what you can find out at Cloud's place. If he's returned or if Tifa knows something. Then meet me in the city square. I'll be with Morgan at Sharon's café."

Rude blinked. No, that was not acceptable. "Excuse me, sir," he responded, "but I do not think that is wise." Out of the corner of his eye, Rude saw Reno's jaw drop and his eyes open wide in disbelief. _Yes, I'm questioning the President's orders. No, I'm not insane_. "We don't know where Kadaj and the others went. Going to the square could be dangerous at this time."

Rufus smiled slyly at him. "Your concern is gratifying, Rude, but it is unnecessary. Kadaj will not harm his 'brother'."

"So you've said, sir, but he has proven he has no qualms about kidnapping them. And honestly, Mr. President, ShinRa cannot afford to take the risk."

Behind the mask of authority, Rufus's resolve wavered, but only slightly. Rude sighed to himself. _A compromise then_. He walked over to the President's personal supply of weapons and selected a light but powerful gun. Approaching Rufus again, he offered it to him. "If you must go, sir, do not go unarmed."

Rufus took the weapon reluctantly. "Damned uncomfortable," he muttered, hiding it in his jacket. With that accomplished, he glared at Rude, hands on hips, and sneered, "Am I allowed out of the house now?"

Rude nodded, accepting the scorn as payment for his insolence.

"Good. Now get out of here. Both of you."

"Sir."

"Yes, sir."

Back on the street again, Rude waited for the flood of sarcastic jokes to envelope him, but it never came. Reno held his tongue. As they walked, Rude stole the occasional glance at his silent partner: the gravity in his eyes, the strength in the set of his jaw. A serious and focused Reno was a pleasant change, but Rude hoped it wouldn't last too long. Reno without the snarky comments and the teasing just wasn't Reno. And although Rude didn't have the faintest idea why, their team worked perfectly just the way it was.

Once they arrived at 7th Heaven, it took only a few minutes to determine that no one was at home. In a surprising change of roles, Reno insisted on checking the alleys behind the building before leaving. Rude waited out in front for him to return.

Several people had passed by him, intent on their own business, and Rude had paid them no mind. When a larger group approached at a run, he flicked his eyes over them, determined they were teenagers, and dismissed them. But then one stopped and stared.

"Hey!" A familiar figure waved and ran toward him. "You're that Turk!"

Rude regarded the panting boy in front of him. "… Aaron, right?"

"Yeah. The kids are back." Aaron pointed in the direction he had been running. His friends had stopped several paces away, waiting.

"Yes, we know."

"You know? Then what are you doing here?"

"We don't know where they -"

"In the square!" Aaron interrupted. "At the Meteor monument."

Rude's heart plummeted. "The square," he echoed. _Shit_. He turned on his heel and yelled, "Reno!"

But Reno was only an arm's length away. "Yeah, I heard," he replied. "We gotta go."

Rude nodded and tried to move but discovered Aaron's hand on his sleeve. The boy's frosty eyes were alive with worry.

"Jimmy acted like he didn't know me! It's like they brainwashed them."

Rude locked gazes with Aaron while removing the hand from his sleeve. "Go home," he ordered.

Aaron shook his head. "No, I-"

"Do you want your mother to have _no_ sons?" Rude interrupted, his normally calm voice rising slightly. Aaron stared at him in shock and understanding. More gently, Rude continued, "We'll do what we can." He turned to his partner. "Let's go, Reno."

"Right behind you," Reno answered, although under his breath, he added, "Running again. Geez, can't we hotwire a car or something?"

Leaving Aaron behind to explain the situation to his friends, Rude ran. His calf muscles ached from the abuse, but he pushed forward. Doubts and worries harassed him, but he tried to push them aside, focusing instead on the gun and the knowledge that the President was not completely defenseless.

Still a few blocks from the square, Rude suddenly stopped. Reno, who had indeed been right behind him, nearly crashed into him. Instead, he unleashed several colorful phrases which Rude ignored. His thoughts had turned to the sight of them bursting into the square at full speed. Sharon's had an indoor dining area as well as an outdoor one, so it was possible Kadaj had not discovered Rufus's presence. If that was the case, they hardly wanted to make a spectacle of themselves.

"This way," he told Reno, motioning to a side alley. "We'll go around the back."

"Whatever, man, just don't do that again."

They altered their course and continued on, slowing in speed the closer they came to the café.

They heard the laughter first: high in pitch, low in sanity. Rude glanced at Reno and saw the red-head flinch in recognition. _So much for that hope_. Carefully, Rude edged to the corner of the building and peeked around.

The first thing he saw was a terrified Morgan, sitting at a table with a double-bladed sword at his throat. His fears confirmed, Rude turned his attention to the President. Rufus seemed extremely calm, sitting in his wheelchair like always, the sheet covering his face. For a moment, Rude wondered how he could inform his boss of his presence without alerting Kadaj, but then Rufus's head lifted slightly. As if expecting him, Rufus's good eye settled on Rude and flashed an order. Rude obeyed, pulling back.

"What - ?" Reno started.

"Shhh. We wait."

"Now, now, Kadaj," Rufus's voice floated to them, "we both know you're here for me, so there's no need to scare my companion. Why don't you go back to work, Will? I'm sorry our meal was cut short."

A scrape of chair on stone and Morgan sped past Rude's line of sight and down the street.

"Your group seems to have grown. It's good to have allies, but your new recruits seem a bit young."

"They're my brothers and sisters. Their age doesn't matter. It's quite fortunate that you are here, Mr. President. I had thought the Reunion would go on without you."

"The Reunion? I see. So you've found your Mother then?"

"Not yet, but the children will lead us to her, and then the Reunion can begin."

"Interesting. That is a sight I'd like to witness. Oh, but you're starting to draw a crowd. I'll have to get a better view. Hmm … that building should do nicely."

"Ha. You think I'd let you leave so easily?"

"Of course not. If I left without an escort, I'd just go get help, right? No, you will come with me. We can watch the scene unfold together."

"What?"

"Unless of course you're afraid your brothers will be helpless without you. As a leader, Kadaj, you should learn to delegate."

"Tch. Fine! It might even be enjoyable, seeing your reaction as our revenge begins."

Rude had heard enough. He pulled away and started back down the alley. Reno caught his arm as he passed.

"Where are you - ?"

"We're to get Tseng and Elena and then come back and engage the other two."

"How - ?"

"Rufus told us to," Rude explained.

Reno frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. "I heard everything he said, and nothing sounded like that."

Rude sighed slightly. "You need listen, not just hear." He gazed patiently at Reno's unchanged expression. "Trust me. Come on."

He continued on down the alley; after a moment Reno shrugged and followed.

* * *

A/N: I put in the motorbike scene to explain how R&R could walk up to L&Y at the monument and all four of them already knew each other on sight. This way, Kadaj points them out to Loz who describes them to Yazoo, and R&R, having seen Loz and Kadaj, put two and two together to get three. :)


	11. Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

**Between the Lines**

**Description**: What happened to Reno and Rude in Advent Children during the times they were off camera. How and why they showed up where they did when they did. Rated T for language and descriptions of torture.

**Disclaimer**: Final Fantasy VII and its characters are the property of Square-Enix. Everything in this fic is just speculation on my part. I have no insider information. I also have no money, so suing me would be pointless.

A/N: _Mirror, mirror on the wall. Show me. Define me. I am the infinite telomerase. I am not an anti-existence. I am the perfect chain_.

Yeah, someone has Xenosaga on the brain.

This chapter is a short introspective and something that I just needed to do. Don't worry if it seems like I'm doing horrible things to Reno.

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**Eleven: Mirror, Mirror on the Wall**

The automatic doors had not even closed behind them before a worried woman in white approached at a run, taking her own life in her hands by clutching Rude's arm.

"Thank goodness you're here!" she spluttered. "The woman, she's awake and very angry. She's threatening to kill everyone in the hospital! We don't know what to do!"

"Kill everyone? That doesn't sound like Elena," Reno commented, unaffected by the nurse's panic.

Rude fixed his steady gaze on the woman and preceded to pry her fingers from him as he asked, "Has she said why she's so angry?"

"Um, something about getting her a uniform. The old one was all bloody and torn," she continued defensively. "And all patients must wear a gown until discharged. It's hospital policy. But she refuses to listen!"

"Oh for the love of …" Rude pushed past her and threw open the main door, ignoring the protests from the gangly young man at the check-in desk. The nurse scurried after Rude, leaving Reno alone to laugh at the image of an irate Elena in a hospital gown.

"So," he commented once the door had slammed shut again, "I'll stay here then, shall I?" When no answer came - other than the disapproving looks of the others in the room - he shrugged and wandered over to the window.

To his surprise, he discovered that someone had relocated the plant he had previously doused to the windowsill. It sat in a small patch of sun, hatless, looking half-dead. And yet the remaining half clearly still clung to life, fighting a seemingly-hopeless battle but refusing to surrender.

_Just like this pathetic city, or rather, like the people who live in it. The frigging sky fell in on them, but they're still here. Still holding down jobs, getting married, having kids. Kids that ooze black death. And yet they fight for something close to normal. They did it in the slums, and they do it here, in this ugly, depressed, lifeless town._

Reno turned at the waist to run his eyes over the scattered few in the waiting room. A little girl in the corner caught his attention; she was very intently moving a stack of magazines from the left side of an end table to the right side, one magazine at a time. Once she had a tall tower, she paused and smiled at Reno before beginning again, this time from right to left.

Reno noticed she had no visible signs of the stigma. _Not yet_. Unbidden, the voice of Morgan entered his mind. _"Female. Aged two years. Mild stigma symptoms in the lower arm. The early stage of the disease makes her an excellent test subject. We'll do the standard injections at first with the possibility of an upgrade later depending on her reaction …"_

Reno shook his head violently. What was wrong with him? He never gave a damn about Morgan's experiments before. Never cared who the people were who fed his scientific curiosity. Never thought of them as people at all. But hearing Morgan talking about Tseng and Elena as if they were just objects - and hearing Rufus let him - had opened a door in his brain and allowed a host of horrors to come inside.

_What if it had been me? Would I have woken up with a whole bunch of "new and improved" body parts? Would _I_ have woken up at all? What if Rufus hadn't been there to keep Morgan in check? Would he have gone ahead and altered Tseng and Elena without their permission? How many others has he altered or experimented on without permission? Why the hell does it matter to me?_

_I'm career ShinRa. A Turk. I've killed thousands I never saw with the push of a button, and I've also killed many one-on-one, watching the light go out in their eyes as they died. Reno, do this job. Yes, sir. Reno, do that job. Yes, sir. It didn't matter what it was or who it was. It was a job, and I did it._

_But now … ?_

He looked again at the little girl. She had discovered the waiting room's supply of brochures and had also somehow acquired a pen. Four copies of the same pill advertisement lay in a ring around her, and she was happily connecting the bullet point dots that listed the medicine's finer aspects. Reno finally noticed her mother, sitting nearby and watching her child with a smile full of love and gentle amusement.

Two beings struggling for life in a dismal world.

_And I'm part of the force trying to stop them_. Jenova, Sephiroth, Geostigma, Kadaj. All from ShinRa's mixture of curiosity, lust for power, and disregard for life.

_Maybe I should quit_. Reno blinked. Where had that thought come from? Quit? What would he do? Probably get a "real" job. Maybe get married, have some kids, grow old with a family who loved him.

But even as the thoughts appeared, something deep within Reno rebelled. _Yeah right. Like any decent woman would have me. And I _hate_ kids. Sure, she's cute and looks well-behaved, but you can't exactly choose which one you get or send it back if you don't like it._

_And give up being a Turk? Never. Rude and I have too much history - and too much fun. Yeah, we don't always do the nicest things, but we have Cloud and Tifa and their bunch of goody-goodies to clean up after us. Besides, what's the point of struggling if there's nothing to struggle against?_

A wide, satisfied grin crept over Reno's face. _I'm a Turk._ _For good, for bad, forever. And anyone who doesn't like it can go fuck themselves. Unless she's good-looking; then I'll help_.

Reno looked at the lonely plant for a long moment. Then, he crossed the room, removed the coffee pot from the machine, walked back to the plant, and poured the entire pot over it.

"Fight harder."

"What are you doing?" Rude had returned without Reno noticing and now stood with folded arms and raised eyebrow a few steps away. "Or should I even ask?"

Reno grinned. "I'm reaffirming my identity."

"I see. Well, as soon as you're done, we should go."

"Sounds good." He headed towards the door, dropping the pot into a shocked elderly man's lap as he passed.

Outside and on the move once more, Reno asked, "So I take it you sorted out our rampaging princess and her wardrobe problem?"

"Yes," Rude answered succinctly.

"Good."

They walked the rest of the way to the square in silence, Reno content just to be with his partner. All doubts had vanished, and he was once again merrily bubbling with joyful self-confidence. _No matter what happens, I know who I am, and that at least will never change_.


	12. The View from the Bottom

**Between the Lines**

**Description**: What happened to Reno and Rude in Advent Children during the times they were off camera. How and why they showed up where they did when they did. Rated T for language and descriptions of torture.

**Disclaimer**: Final Fantasy VII and its characters are the property of Square-Enix. Everything in this fic is just speculation on my part. I have no insider information. I also have no money, so suing me would be pointless.

A/N: This starts immediately after R&R get their butts beaten by Y&L. I apologize to the readers who wanted me to write about some of that fight, but the point of this fic was to fill in the gaps between the movie scenes, not to novelize the movie. Besides, I don't think I could have stuck to that dialogue. Meh.

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**Twelve: The View from the Bottom**

Rude lay on his back, gazing up at the cloudy sky, and mentally listed all the ways Reno had abused him since they had entered the square. He had smacked him in the nose upon seeing the enormous monster that had appeared, had nearly smacked him a second time running from said monster, had dropped a huge sign on his head, had then dropped himself on his head, _had stepped on and shattered his sunglasses_, had knocked him over when Kadaj had dropped out of the sky, and had finally kicked him off the wall to the street where he currently rested.

Rude deeply wished he had a gun. He had such a lovely view of Reno's hind end, and one well-placed bullet would bring such satisfaction. Of course, Rude would never actually do that to his partner, but after what he had suffered, he certainly deserved a moment to dream.

The sharp _click_ of heels on pavement roused Rude from his ruminations. He picked himself up and brushed off his sleeves as Elena approached. "Good to see you again," he said when she was within earshot.

"Same here," she replied. She rested her fists on her hips and lifted her blonde head to watch Reno ascending the side of the building like some sort of insect. Rude surreptitiously flicked his eyes over her face and body; apart from a slight dark color underneath her eyes, he could not tell that anything out of the ordinary had happened to her. Pleased, he nodded to himself.

They stood side by side for a moment; then Elena said, "A hundred gil says he falls."

"Elena," Rude replied with disapproval, "I am not in the habit of making bets that hinge on a colleague undergoing bodily harm."

"Okay."

They watched a while more. Reno had reached the intersection of nets where Rufus rested and was trying to help the President move onto one and slide down. Rufus clearly disapproved of this plan, and their disagreement had caused the nets to begin to sway. Without moving her eyes from the scene above them, Elena spoke again.

"Two hundred says he takes the President with him."

"Done."

In the end, Tseng intervened with a zipcord and harness, so Rude and Elena agreed to consider the bet null and void.

Once all four Turks and their boss had their feet securely on the ground, they took a moment to review the situation. Kadaj had Jenova. This was not a good thing. Cloud had chased him, which improved matters, but it was still one to three. And at least one of those three would shortly become powerful enough to send them all on a one-way trip to the Lifestream. They had watched the airship with Cloud's friends fly off earlier, but Rude doubted they would be much help and Rufus voiced the same opinion. As such, the President's decision came as no surprise.

"Rude, Reno, go after them and at the very least take out Yazoo and Loz. I think we can safely leave Kadaj to Cloud, especially without the other two to worry about."

"Yes, sir," both men answered nearly in unison. Then Reno added in a strained voice, "On foot, sir?"

"Of course not," Rufus snapped. Reno shrank back obediently, but Rude could see the massive relief behind the dutiful fear. "Take the chopper. Otherwise you'll never even find them."

"Tseng and I brought the car, sir," Elena cheerily interjected.

"Good. Drive them to the helipad and then come back. Tseng, go up and fetch my wheelchair down."

"Yes, sir," Tseng replied smoothly as if he existed only to fetch things. An expression of admiration lifted the corners of Rude's mouth. Tseng could walk from one end of Hell to the other and emerge completely unruffled, every feather perfectly in place.

"Come on, you two," Elena ordered, the chirrup in her voice gone. "You have a couple of bugs to squash."

"Wonderful," Reno muttered. Rude turned his eyes to his partner and found a fair amount of anxiety in his face. Not surprising. Their previous attempt to take care of Yazoo and Loz had failed quite miserably. But Rude had no intention of fighting fair a second time.

"I need to get a few things from the armory," he told Elena. To Reno, he said, "Come pick me up there."

Elena shrugged. "Okay. Whatever. Come on, Reno, get your skinny ass in gear."

"You want the rest of me to come too, or just my ass?"

"I don't _want_ any of you to come. If I had my way, I'd hang you up on one of those beams by that ratty ponytail of yours."

"Ha! I _knew_ you had some S&M in you, you whore."

"_What?_ Say that again!"

"Nah, I like my teeth. I'll drive by the way."

"Like hell you will …"

Rude walked away, shaking his head. Things were definitely back to normal.

Fifteen minutes later, Rude stood outside the armory, cradling two cylindrical objects as he watched the chopper touch down. He absently stroked one with a thumb. On his way to the building, he had been steadfast in his resolve to use them, but once he had picked them up in his hands, he had wavered. Surely a different set would do; he could keep his little ones for a more special occasion. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized that they were the finest and that no other future scene would ever be as dramatic or as appropriate as this one.

Reno whistled from the pilot's seat as Rude climbed in. "Now that's what I'm talking about!" He reached out to take a bomb, but Rude held them away.

"No. Not until we get there. I don't want to risk you blowing us up by setting it off prematurely."

Reno's lips puckered in a practiced pout. "That was _ages_ ago," he whined. "Haven't you heard of forgive and forget?"

"I've forgiven you, Reno, but for my own well-being I have no intention of forgetting."

The pout morphed into a familiar grin. "Fair enough." He turned to the controls and lifted them up into the air.

They had no trouble finding the four bikes, zooming along Midgar's abandoned highways at utterly insane speeds. As they watched, the lead bike peeled off to a parallel road, leaving the remaining three to battle on without it. Through the chopper's set of binoculars, Rude confirmed that their prey remained on the lower road.

"And they're heading for that tunnel," Rude continued, pointing ahead.

"All right then, we'll land on the other side and wait. Sound like a plan?"

"Indeed."

Reno grinned wickedly, and Rude could not resist an evil smile of his own. "Rude, my friend, time to blow up some silver-headed ass."

"A completely mixed metaphor, Reno, but I agree with the sentiment whole-heartedly."


	13. When Good Turks Go Boom

**Between the Lines**

**Description**: What happened to Reno and Rude in Advent Children during the times they were off camera. How and why they showed up where they did when they did. Rated T for language and descriptions of torture.

**Disclaimer**: Final Fantasy VII and its characters are the property of Square-Enix. Everything in this fic is just speculation on my part. I have no insider information. I also have no money, so suing me would be pointless.

A/N: I heartily apologize for this chapter title, but I couldn't help myself. Hee hee. I just love the movie scene that leads up to this chapter.

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**Thirteen: When Good Turks Go Boom**

The little glowing numbers danced across the small screen, emitting gentle beeps as the leftmost one changed. Always decreasing.

Beep.

_No one kicks me in the face and escapes. My revenge will be sweet indeed._

"Reno?"

His hair, still swaying slightly from when Cloud had passed, tickled the back of his neck. _Anorexic momma's boy, this'll wipe that smug look right off your pretty little face._

Beep.

"Hello? Reno?"

Blue eyes narrowed and red lips curled in evil ecstasy as the bike appeared. The body language of the driver clearly showed his surprise and alarm.

Beep.

_Gotcha._

"_Reno!_"

Rude's body collided with his, the force of it crushing the air from his lungs. They landed mostly inside the chopper as the bomb exploded, sending forceful shockwaves down the highway and ripping even more air from their mouths. The back of Reno's head hurt from where it had knocked into the chopper's metal floor, and when he looked up and saw a bright array of colored sparkles rippling through the sky, he thought at first he had received some sort of concussion. Then he remembered how Rude had described his homemade weapons: flashy.

Reno sat up, grinning from ear to ear. Rude remained lying down, grumbling. "Damn _idiot_," he muttered. "Should've let you kill yourself."

"Yeah, sorry about that, man," Reno replied, still watching the fireworks. "Got a bit carried away." He hopped out of the chopper to survey the damage, leaving Rude to curse darkly to himself.

The aftermath of the explosion was not the most impressive Reno had ever seen, but, considering the annoyance level of the target, it was still quite satisfying. Bits of twisted metal scattered about. Smoking rubber. A nice-sized hole in the middle of the street, and pieces of rock just about everywhere.

But where were the corpses? Reno's eyes searched the wreckage in vain. There should at least be an arm or a leg somewhere. Something to show that two people had met their messy end. He ran over to the railing and looked down at the road below. More rock, a bit of metal, no bodies. _That blast wasn't nearly enough to vaporize them, so where are they?_

He turned back toward the chopper and his partner. "Yo, Rude, whaddya make of -" His voice trailed off. Rude had stood up and was now glaring at him through his back-up pair of sunglasses. A sharp crack zigzagged through the right lens, and half of the left lens had fallen out, revealing a very angry eye.

Reno's stomach constricted. He knew what was coming. "Um, wow," he stuttered. "How did that happen?"

"Your thick head." Rude pronounced each word with immense care.

"Oops. Sorry, man." He smiled apologetically, hoping it would somehow stop the inevitable.

"That brings the number of my glasses that you have broken in the past month to an even dozen. Do you know what that means?"

"Um, a new record?"

"It means you owe me twelve new pairs." He closed the distance between them with slow, deliberate steps, taking off the glasses and folding the sides down in the process. Once he was close enough, he took Reno's hand and placed the frame gently but firmly into his palm. Then he removed his second back-up pair from the other breastpocket and put them on before adding, "I expect them the day after tomorrow at the latest."

Reno groaned. There went most of this week's paycheck. "Man, these things are _expensive_."

"I'm well aware of that," Rude replied, his tone now back to normal. He turned his back on Reno and walked to the chopper. "Let's get back to Rufus."

"Yeah, all right." Reno clomped after him, the high from the explosion completely gone. _Whatever. Bodies or no bodies, those guys are toast. Crispy, burnt toast._ The thought of a blackened, charred Yazoo lifted his spirits somewhat as he climbed into the chopper and prepared for liftoff.

Interestingly enough, Rufus had not moved from the side of the building that had earlier given him a personal lesson in gravity. He sat quietly in the chair that Tseng had retrieved, gazing at the sky as if it held the answers to the universe. Tseng himself stood a few feet away from his boss, waiting for Reno and Rude with hands clasped behind his back. As they stepped from the car - Elena had returned to the helipad to pick them up again - Tseng cocked an eyebrow and smiled faintly.

"We saw the lightshow from here. I take it then that you completed your mission?"

"Yes, sir," Rude replied. Reno merely nodded. If he held his tongue, maybe Rufus would dismiss them for the day. After all that had happened over the past two days, he wanted nothing more than to go home and sleep for a week.

Tseng nodded, and his next words dashed Reno's hopes. "The President wants the four of us to remain here on standby until further notice."

"What, just hang around and do nothing?" Elena asked, slamming the car door that Reno had left open.

"Yes, Elena," Tseng replied patiently. "That is what standby means, after all."

His tone held absolutely no anger, but she chose to take the comment as a reprimand anyway. Her face flushed all the way to her blonde roots, and with a downcast gaze, she muttered, "… yessirsorrysir …"

Reno rolled his eyes. They were all familiar with Elena's "secret" lust, even Tseng who chose to feign ignorance of it for his own reasons. Since he had no interest in getting into Tseng's pants, Reno pressed the issue. "Why do we have to wait here? Can't we go back to the hotel where it's warmer? Get something to eat? Why do we have to stand around outside?"

Cool, dark eyes fixed on him, and Reno knew what was coming next. _Because the President said so, you frigging idiot_. Well, okay, Tseng would never actually say the last part, but his tone and expression would make the words unnecessary.

Tseng took a breath, but before he could answer, a darkness spread over both of them. Reno thought at first that a cloud had simply blocked the sun, but the darkness deepened and spread until a kind of instant nightfall had blanketed the city. The expression on Tseng's face slowly turned to surprise and horror, his eyes staring over Reno's shoulder at the sky behind him. Confused, Reno turned to see what had rattled his usually stoic superior.

Deep black clouds had gathered somewhere over the Midgar ruins, blotting out the sunlight and taking over the sky. Dozens of tendrils wove individual paths through the air like enormous black snakes, creeping ever closer to the city and its terrified populace.

"Aaaaugh!"

Reno spun on his heel at the cry. Rufus was clutching his wrist in pain. Tseng and Rude were instantly at his side, Elena quickly following, making sure he was all right. Reno joined them, not out of concern for Rufus who had easily waved off their concern, but out of a sudden need not to be left alone. Together, the remaining members of the top echelon of ShinRa lifted their heads to the approaching blackness, and Rufus voiced all their fears in one word:

"Sephiroth."

Silence. Empty and terrible. No choice but to simply wait.

_Come on, Cloud_, Reno thought desperately. _Don't let us down_.


	14. Everyday Miracles

**Between the Lines**

**Description**: What happened to Reno and Rude in Advent Children during the times they were off camera. How and why they showed up where they did when they did. Rated T for language and descriptions of torture.

**Disclaimer**: Final Fantasy VII and its characters are the property of Square-Enix. Everything in this fic is just speculation on my part. I have no insider information. I also have no money, so suing me would be pointless.

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**Fourteen: Everyday Miracles**

Rain.

Soft, warm, soothing … _forgiving_?

Rude blinked as a perfectly-placed droplet fell behind the lenses of his glasses and broke upon his eyelashes. Interesting how something as simple and natural as rain could bring up such feelings within him. Normally, he would have attributed it to the relief upon seeing the sun again, the dissipation of the dark, ominous clouds, and the knowledge of what the sight truly meant. But Rude could feel something special in the water that dropped from the sky. Something that cured Geostigma on contact. A presence that was familiar and oddly comforting.

He shifted his attention to Rufus, still sitting comfortably in his wheelchair. A few green vapors lingered in the air above the smooth skin of his right hand. Rufus lifted it and inspected it for a moment before returning his attention to his Turks. The four of them stood before the President in a slightly curved line. Survivors.

Rufus smiled at them. A genuine action with perhaps even a trace of affection. "Tseng, I would like you to drive me to Healin. I have an account there I would like to close. You and I will discuss next week's assignments on the way."

Tseng inclined his head. "Sir."

"Elena, Rude, Reno, you are dismissed until tomorrow."

"Yes, sir."

"Thank you, sir."

With a final nod, the President rotated his chair and advanced to the car, Tseng following at a respectful but still helpful distance.

Rude turned to Reno who was stretching and doing a very poor job of stifling a yawn. "Interested in getting something to eat?"

"Dunno," Reno answered, scratching the back of his head. "I'm really tired. My bed is calling me, and there isn't even a woman in it."

Rude snorted good-naturedly. "You must be exhausted then." He swiveled his head to look over his shoulder. "Elena, you hungry?"

"Yeah, a bit," she replied, walking up to them. "Reno's paying, right?"

"You wish. Nah, I'm going home. I'm beat."

To Rude's surprise, Elena's face fell at this news. "Really? I was kind of hoping you'd tell me about how you blew up those two creeps. I'd like to hear the details."

Reno gazed at her, puzzled. "You would? Since when are you interested in bombs and explosions?"

"Oh, I'm not interested in the explosion," she explained, lifting her left hand and slowly flexing each finger individually. "More the elimination of the targets."

Reno laughed lightly. "I gotcha, girl. Okay, I'll go. Some food will probably make me feel better."

Elena smiled at him. Rude had to fight the urge to rub his eyes and gawk in disbelief. Reno and Elena getting along? This was indeed an interesting day. In fact, he didn't know which was the most remarkable: Sephiroth's rebirth (and re-death), the end of Geostigma, or this. He had no doubt the truce would be short-lived, but still, for now it was very nice to see.

"I need to talk to Tseng real quick. Can you guys wait a minute?"

"Sure," Rude replied.

"See if you can get him to pay for dinner," Reno added.

Elena shook her head at him and dashed away to get Tseng before he left.

The two men stood together in comfortable silence. After a moment, Rude looked over at his partner, the man who was both his worst headache and his greatest friend. He smiled.

"Reno."

"Yeah?" He turned his head and noticed the smile. One eyebrow shot skyward in consternation.

"I just wanted to let you know …" He paused, relishing the worry in the other man's face. "… that if you get drunk tonight, I am _not_ carting your sorry ass home."

Instantly, Reno's face brightened, and a teasing grin spread across his lips. Rude swallowed a laugh. _You thought I was going to say something emotional and sentimental, didn't you? I know us better than that_.

"Geez, Rude," Reno drawled, more than happy to play along, "you are so uptight. You know what you need to wind down? A woman. I know a few who would do the trick. Pretty girls. Low standards."

"If they've slept with you," Rude interjected, "their standards must be extremely low."

Reno laughed. Then he suddenly stopped and said with uncharacteristic seriousness, "Yo, don't ever change, all right?"

Rude looked at him in surprise. Then, slowly, gently, he smiled again. "I won't if you won't."

_Guess we can be a little sentimental. Once in a while_.

"Good. It's a deal then."

"Okay, guys, I'm back," Elena's voice broke in. She trotted up to them and then turned to address Reno with a smirk. "Tseng says he'll take us all out to dinner once you get caught up on all the paperwork you owe him."

Reno shook his head and clucked his tongue. "Well, it was worth a shot. Come on, let's go already." He clapped a hand to Rude's back and began walking toward the square.

Rude and Elena exchanged a knowing look before easily falling into step beside their fiery-headed teammate. Tomorrow, another crisis would undoubtedly arise, but for tonight at least, the Turks were off-duty. The rest of the world could leave a frigging message.

Together, Reno, Rude, and Elena headed off into the city.

**The End**

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A/N:

First of all, thank you to everyone who read all the way to the end. I really hope you enjoyed my venture into the world between the movie scenes. It was harder than I thought it would be, but it was definitely worth it in my view.

I also want to thank the following people:

My husband for being my lifelong supporter and my biggest fan.

My kids because they're _cute_.

Everyone who reviewed: abby - Ariel Hayes - Awesomeninjagirl - Becky - bitter green tea - Brianna Shinra - Ceressky - charcol - Cimikat - crazysquirl - Eshlyn Kar - Flying-Bronco - FuschiaFinn - Just Jill - Justice of the People - kloud13 - lazaefair - Lemon Wine - Lily Silver - Linchi - Lisilgirl - Living in a fantasy - Miss Nox - Moonshine's Guide - Mystery Reviewer - ParisWriter - serpentdoness - ShadowSage2 - Shou-shou - Sirithiliel - Siskin - Starr Bryte - talimthewindwalker - Telly - UbiquitousOranges - yuki hibiki

And, yeah, Square-Enix for doing the movie in the first place.


End file.
